Jasper County Judge Gayle Crane has ordered a machine recount of the Joplin City Council election vote, as requested by candidate Brian Evans.
The decision was announced today at a hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Evans, a schoolteacher who had not previously sought public office, had petitioned for a recount of the April 5 election results for the general seats on the Joplin City Council. He was one of five candidates who vied for three general seats.
Election results tallied on election night showed Evans in fourth place with 13 fewer votes than Josh DeTar, the candidate with the closest vote total. Twelve of the 13-vote difference came from the Jasper County portion of Joplin, and one vote was from the Newton County side of the city. Combined county votes for DeTar totaled 2,339, and those for Evans totaled 2,326.
DeTar, along with the other two who received the highest number of votes, Kate Spencer and Doug Lawson, has been sworn in as a council member. State law says that the apparent winners may assume their seats until a challenge is heard by the court.
Under Missouri voting laws, a candidate in any race where a seat was lost by 1% or less of the vote can file in circuit court to ask for a recount.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
