A Democratic candidate for state senate has asked for a recount of the number of votes he and his opponent earned.
Jesse Kharbanda, one of two Democrats running to represent State Senate District 36, filed this week for a recount of the votes in this spring’s primary election. District 36 covers portions of southern Marion County and northern Johnson County.
Kharbanda and competitor Sean Gorman are separated by 37 votes, with Gorman in the slight lead. More than 800 Johnson County residents voted for either Kharbanda or Gorman, but more than 91 percent of the votes came from Marion County residents.
A recount commission, which includes attorneys, representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties and Secretary of State Connie Lawson, will vote on whether to recount the ballots, said Indiana Election Division co-director Angie Nussmeyer.
The state does not have any requirements for an automatic recount, such as the number of votes that separate the candidates, Nussmeyer said.
The state does not have a deadline for when a recount would have to be done. She anticipates the commission will decide whether to grant a recount and have a clear winner named by mid-August so that ballots can be finalized for the November election.
Whoever is the winner of the recount will face Jack Sandlin, who won the Republican nomination, in the fall.
