By Dee Camp
The Chronicle

     OKANOGAN - Political newcomer Ray L. Campbell maintained his 10-vote lead over incumbent District No. 2 County Commissioner Don R. "Bud" Hover after a hand recount of ballots was completed Dec. 4.
     Results of the recount will be certified by the Okanogan County Canvassing Board at 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, one month after the general election. The board meets in the Auditor's Office in the courthouse, 149 N. Third Ave.
     In unofficial recount returns released Dec. 4 by the Auditor's Office, Campbell had 7,190 votes, or 49.52 percent, and fellow Republican Hover had 7,180 votes, or 49.45 percent.
     Another 149 ballots, or 1.03 percent of the vote, went to write-ins.
     Campbell's margin of victory was 0.07 percent.
     More than 17,000 ballots were counted by Auditor's Office workers for the District No. 2 race. They also tallied 2,645 "under votes," or ballots on which neither candidate was marked, and 14 "over votes," or ballots on which both candidates were marked.
     Each candidate lost four votes in his final tally, compared to the totals posted after the initial, computer-counted results.
     The recount began Nov. 28, with Auditor's Office workers separating the paper ballots by precinct. The actual count began Dec. 3.
     Campbell's 0.06 percent margin in the computer count, certified Nov. 27, sent the results to the recount.
     Under state law, a 0.25 percent difference triggers a hand recount. County-wide voter turnout was 80.48 percent.
     Election officials had expected the recount to take all week.
     For more on the recount, see the Dec. 9 print issue of The Chronicle.