By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Republican state Rep. Keresa Richardson’s lead over Democrat Brittany Black has narrowed to just 17 votes in House District 61, while Collin County Elections Administrator Kaleb Breaux has provided an explanation for why two election reports released Friday appeared to show different candidates leading the race.
The latest unofficial results show Richardson with 44,914 votes, Black with 44,897 and Green Party candidate Anissa Chilmeran with 1,702.
Richardson led by 134 votes on election night, November 3, but that margin had fallen to 28 by Friday morning.
Friday afternoon’s update added 546 ballots countywide, all reflected in the early-voting totals. Of the 96 additional ballots in HD-61, Black received 50 votes, Richardson received 39 and Chilmeran received three. Four ballots contained no vote in the contest.
Why Two Election Reports Showed Different Leaders
A comparison of Collin County’s precinct-level and summary reports revealed conflicting results in HD-61.
Adding the published precinct totals from the report generated Friday at 5:05 p.m. produced 44,813 votes for Black and 44,752 for Richardson, putting Black ahead by 61 votes.
However, the county’s summary report, generated at 4:59 p.m., showed Richardson leading by 17 votes. The difference amounted to 252 candidate votes.
Breaux explained Saturday that the county follows a policy established after a 2024 Texas attorney general opinion and guidance from the Texas Secretary of State.
“There are some precincts that we suppress in our results due to low ballots cast in those precincts; our policy since this advisory has been 10 ballots cast in a precinct,” Breaux said.
Election Advisory 2024-20 addresses concerns that election records, particularly those involving small numbers of voters, could reveal how individuals cast their ballots.
Under the county’s policy, certain precinct-level results are withheld from public reports to protect ballot secrecy. As a result, adding the published precinct figures may not produce the same totals as the county’s summary report.
Breaux did not provide a precinct-by-precinct reconciliation of the 252-vote difference but said additional information could become available.
“I will have staff review these precincts once everything is final to see if we can release those precinct results to the public,” he said.
The county’s summary report remains the basis for the current unofficial standings. The difference between the reports does not, by itself, establish that ballots were counted incorrectly.
How Many Ballots Remain?
Collin County Democratic Party Chairman Jeremy Sutka shared updated ballot figures Saturday that he said came directly from the Elections Administrator.
According to Sutka, 58 mail ballots and 47 early-voting provisional ballots remained countywide, along with 203 to 243 Election Day provisional ballots.
That represents between 308 and 348 potentially outstanding ballots across Collin County, although the number belonging specifically to HD-61 has not been confirmed.
Sutka estimates that roughly one-fifth to one-sixth of those ballots could come from HD-61. His calculation relies on earlier ballot counts and assumptions about how the remaining votes are distributed.
Not every outstanding ballot will necessarily be accepted, and some may contain no valid vote in the House race.
Black needs a net gain of 18 votes from the remaining ballots to move ahead of Richardson.
Sutka also anticipates a possible recount if the margin remains close. Neither campaign has announced a formal recount request.
Black: ‘We’re Not Finished Yet’
Black addressed the race earlier this week, when Richardson’s lead stood at 38 votes.
“We are closely monitoring the counting process and remain hopeful as we wait for every eligible ballot to be counted,” Black said. “The people of House District 61 deserve to know that their voices have been heard and their votes counted accurately.”
She also discussed what the campaign had accomplished, regardless of the eventual outcome.
“Regardless of the outcome, I’m incredibly proud of what our campaign has accomplished, including everything we were able to overcome to get to this moment,” she said.
“We’ve shown that this district is competitive and that people are ready for a different kind of leadership focused on serving our communities.”
Black ended her remarks with a commitment to continue following the count.
“We’re not finished yet, and we’re going to see this process through.”
What Happens Next
Election officials must finish reviewing outstanding provisional ballots and counting those determined to be eligible.
Breaux previously indicated that Collin County was targeting Monday, November 16, for its canvass, although the county had not confirmed a revised schedule following Friday’s count.
The results remain unofficial, and any recount would be a separate process following the canvass.
For now, Richardson holds a 17-vote lead, with the number of outstanding HD-61 ballots still unconfirmed.
Editors Note: Rep. Keresa Richardson was contacted for comment but has not responded as of publication.
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