Senate bill requires state to pay for recount of close municipal races

State Sen. Randall Hardy knows agony of defeat and joy of victory of a razer-thin municipal election.

The Salina Republican prevailed in a 2015 race for Salina City Commission after a recount of ballots resolved in his favor a 2,141 tie that was temporarily broken with a flip of a coin for his opponent. A recount revealed 40 ballots hadn’t been properly counted, and allocation of those votes provided Hardy the margin of victory.

“There was a jam in a counting machine,” he said. “It was kind of a fluke thing, but fortunate in my case.”