Margaret Donnelly Officially Files Request for Recount in Attorney General Primary
Certification of Missouri Democratic Primary Results Means that Campaign Can Proceed with Formal Request of Recount
After receiving word that the Democratic primary results for the Missouri Attorney General race were certified late last week, Representative Margaret Donnelly (Dem.) has officially filed her formal request for a recount of the Democratic ballots. As Donnelly was second to Senator Chris Koster by a 0.2% margin, with a 780-vote differential out of more than 346,000 votes cast, this result is well within the margin necessary to qualify for a recount.
In accordance with the state statutes that provide guidance for this procedure, the Donnelly campaign has filed a petition with the state’s Supreme Court to consider all votes, including rejected absentee and provisional ballots, cast in the primary election. With this result representing the closest statewide race in Missouri history, each vote becomes all the more significant in an outcome where a mere one-vote swing in as few as 25% of the precincts in the state would result in a Donnelly victory.
Acting on the campaign’s behalf, Lathrop Gage L.C. filed the official request for recount pursuant to Section 115.601, RSMo late on Friday, and on Monday afternoon filed its petition with the Missouri Supreme Court to consider all votes in the process, including rejected absentee and provisional ballots. Member Richard Rhyne of the firm’s Kansas City office has led the legal team in this matter – during the campaign he served as chair of the Donnelly for Attorney General Greater Kansas City-Area Steering Committee, and has handled election recount matters in his legal practice.
“We are following the procedure that the state has established, so at this point it is a legal proceeding,” Ms. Donnelly said. “We want to be sure that all voices are heard in this election, which is the common goal that we and the party both share.”
About Lathrop Gage:
A leading Midwest full-service law firm, Lathrop Gage L.C. has approximately 300 attorneys in 10 offices nationwide – from Denver, Colo. to New York, New York. In 2007, Chambers USA ranked Lathrop Gage’s corporate, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and labor and employment teams among the best in the Midwest. For more information, visit www.lathropgage.com.