Recount requested for city council race
The race for San Marcos City Council Place 3 will be recounted after Councilmember Ed Mihalkanin made the request last week.
Mihalkanin requested the recount of all early voting and Election Day ballots cast within all City of San Marcos vote center locations and paid the required $1,600 deposit, covering the cost of the recount. According to the Texas Election Code, if the winner of the election is changed, the deposit will be returned.
“So many people that have been involved in our civic community said the numbers don’t make sense,” said Mihalkanin, explaining that members of the community observed candidates endorsed in two blocks, and all but he was elected from one block. “The technology is also new so I decided to bear the criticism and ask for the recount.”
Challenger and unofficial Place 3 winner Alyssa Garza said in a statement on her campaign’s twitter account, “Friends, my opponent submitted a request for a recount for our race. I won by over 70% of the vote. I’m not entirely sure what his rationale is but I do respect that it’s his right to request a recount.”
A few residents also reached out to the Daily Record asking why several of the more conservative or centrist candidates were elected to the San Marcos City Council, and felt that Garza’s election was an outlier. They noted that a few thousand voters who selected Garza also voted for Scott.
The commonalities in two very different candidates being elected by such great margins in a citywide election were that city council incumbents were voted out, regardless of political leaning, and that Garza and Scott both held top of the ticket positions.
The San Marcos Police Officers Association and Kyle Law Enforcement Association endorsed many candidates that got elected or went to runoff, although some by very close margins: Mayor Jane Hughson, Scott and Mark Gleason.
Mihalkanin was also endorsed but not elected. There were two other candidates at the county level endorsed but not elected.
“I respect the democratic process and I am not alleging any fraud or malintent. I have high respect for the Hays County Elections Office,” Mihalkanin said.
According to the Texas Election Code, Mayor Jane Hughson, the presiding officer of the local canvassing authority and recount supervisor is working with Tammy Cook, the interim city clerk to gather the recount committee.
According to the City of San Marcos, the Canvass for all races will still be held on Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. However, if the recount is not completed prior to this time, Garza will not be issued her certificate of election and will not be sworn in as a council member which means that Mihalkanin would still be seated for the Nov. 17 city council meeting. Once the recount is completed, the city would then need to canvass those results and issue the certificate of election.
“Unfortunately I will not be sworn into office on (Monday). as previously planned,” Garza tweeted. “I won’t be able to serve our community as a councilor at (Tuesday's) city council meeting as this process unfolds, however, I will continue working on behalf of the citizens who elected me to council.”
Mihalkanin stated to the Daily Record, however, that he would not be participating in the city council meeting Tuesday out of respect for the process and to dispel any concern he was attempting to vote for a particular item.
