The race for Collin County judge, the county's top elected executive, came down to fewer than 2,000 votes out of nearly 433,000 cast, and the county's own paperwork shows more ballots than that still in play.
Republican Chris Hill had 217,401 votes, or 50.22%, to 215,538, or 49.78%, for Democrat John R. "Buster" Brown in the county's unofficial returns, a report timed 1:02 a.m. Nov. 4 that counted every vote center. The difference is 1,863 votes. The Dallas Morning News described Hill as having narrowly won reelection.
Two different electorates
The early vote and the Election Day vote pointed in opposite directions. Brown led among early voters, 179,062 to 174,248, a margin of 4,814. Hill erased that on Tuesday, taking Election Day ballots 38,772 to 32,109, a margin of 6,663. Mail ballots were nearly even: 4,381 for Hill and 4,367 for Brown.
About 25,700 voters who cast ballots skipped the county judge race entirely, according to the undervote count.
Ballots still outstanding
A preliminary reconciliation form signed election night by the presiding judge, Kathi-Ann Rivard, lists an estimated 3,755 provisional ballots and 4,727 mail ballots that were not returned or are pending action by the voter. Together that is 8,482, more than four times the margin in the judge's race.
The form carries a disclaimer that its numbers will likely change as provisional votes, mail ballots and other reconciliation work are completed.
The same form shows 455 more voters checked in or mailed ballots than ballots counted and rejected or pending, a difference of about 0.1%. The notes line beside it reads "Investigating."
