Politics & Government

Jennifer Boysko Files For State-Funded Recount in Herndon Delegate Race

State-certified results have Boysko trailing behind incumbent Tom Rust by 54 votes, or 0.26 percent.

Jennifer van der Kleut, Patch Staff

Posted Tue, Dec 3, 2013 at 8:26 pm ET

With only 54 votes separating her from incumbent victor Tom Rust, Democratic candidate for Delegate to the 86th District, Jennifer Boysko, officially filed for a state-funded recount Tuesday.

According to state election laws, the apparent loser in an election can request a state-funded recount within 10 days of the state certifying the election results, if the difference between the candidates is less than 1 percent, which it was in the case of Tom Rust versus Jennifer Boysko on Nov. 5.

In the state-certified results, Rust garnered 10,389 votes to Boysko's 10,335, separating them by just 54 votes, or 0.26 percent.

A total of 20,775 votes were cast in the 86th District, which includes Herndon and parts of Oak Hill and Sterling. Fifty-one votes were cast for write-in candidates.

According to a statement issued by Boysko's campaign late Tuesday evening, Boysko received the majority of the votes cast in the Fairfax County portion of the 86th District, which accounts for 87 percent of the district.

“Given the closeness of the outcome of this race, we owe it to both candidates and to the voters to make sure that every tally is recorded correctly and every vote accounted for so the process leaves no lingering questions,” said Boysko. “Everyone who voted and all of the constituents of the 86th District deserve no less.”

The race between Republican incumbent Tom Rust and Boysko was the closest of any election in Virginia this year.

"I applaud my opponent, Tom Rust, on running a spirited campaign, and I can only hope that he, like me, wants to make sure the votes of all those who cast ballots in the 86th are counted."

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