By CRISTINA JANNEY and JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Both candidates for the 111th Kansas House seat are hopeful they will come out on top once all the votes are counted.
According to the unofficial vote total Tuesday night, Republican Barb Wasinger leads incumbent Democratic Representative Eber Phelps by just 40 votes (4,259 to 4,219).
Wasinger gathered with family privately to wait for results to come in.
“I just want to thank everyone who voted, and I am waiting for the final count,” she told the Post by phone Tuesday night.
Phelps was surrounded by fellow Democrats at a public watch party Tuesday night. He was hopeful once all of the ballots are counted that he will retain his seat in the Kansas House.
“It is still pretty close, and I will wait until tomorrow morning to see how I feel about it,” he said.
Cheers went up several times through the night as national news stations projected Democratic candidate for governor Laura Kelly the winner in Kansas and when the Democrats were projected to regain control of the U.S. House.
Phelps, who has spent 18 years in the Legislature, said Tuesday night polls indicated he would retain his house seat. He said he had also been experiencing strong support as he campaigned door to door.
“Especially since the 22nd, feedback at the door, one after the other, was telling me they had already voted for me,” Phelps said.
There are still 196 provisional ballots and at least 39 advanced votes that have not been counted. The county clerk will also count advanced ballots that were postmarked by Election Day and are received by Friday.
Election staff will review the provisional ballots. A person may be given a provisional ballot if his or her voter eligibility is in question. The canvas board, which is officially the County Commission, will review records to determine if the voter was eligible. This sometimes includes people who did not produce proper ID when they voted.
The official canvass of the vote totals will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15 at the County Administrative Center. The public can observe that process.
After the votes are counted, they are certified by the county commission of which Wasinger is a member.
Phelps said he thought Wasinger should recuse herself from the canvas process.
“I think if you are going in there and having a real close race that the prudent thing to do would be to step back and a neutral person do that,” he said.