This year Cameron County set new heights in voting numbers on Election Day, and yet some races were won but just a few votes.
Those who got the losing end, asked for recounts.
County Judge Carlos Cascos said that goes to show that every vote indeed counts.
"The recount is not to verify the election of that particular day,” Cascos said. “It's to do a complete manual recount of all the votes that were cast.”
Only three votes separated current Pct. 1 Constable Horacio Zamora and challenger Pete Delgadillo. It was a race that was too close for comfort, and Delgadillo asked for a recount.
It took an entire day to recount the approximate 5,000 votes, but in the end the total tally showed there were 40 votes less than the final tally on Election day – and the numbers favored Delgadillo.
"One candidate lost 15 votes and one candidate lost 25 votes,” Cascos said. “At the end of the day, the challenger won by seven votes, versus having lost on Election day by three."
Although this race, plus the race for Brownsville school board member between Linda Gill-Martinez and Jose Hector Chirinos were both overturned base on the recounts, Cascos said the Cameron County elections system is fair and strictly abides by all state election codes.
He adds it's unclear how the election day tally and recount tally differed by 40 votes, and they may never find out.
"You really can't tell without going back and the Secretary of State or the state election code is very strict,” Cascos said. “Once you do the recount and you finish and you seal those boxes up, you cannot open them up without a court order.
Constable Zamora will have 30 days to contest the recount through a district court.
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