David Blair, a Potomac-based businessman and candidate for Montgomery County Executive, filed a request on Tuesday for a recount of the primary election.

A document shared by Blair’s campaign shows he requested a manual recount.  A total of 141,581 ballots were cast.

Blair initially tweeted his intention to call for a recount on Aug. 7, exactly three weeks after the July 19 election. At that time he was ahead by 42 votes, but eventually Elrich took the lead.In response to a request for comment, Blair’s campaign referred to the statement released on Aug. 7.

On Monday, the state of Maryland certified Elrich’s win by just 35. His margin narrowed only slightly after 102 uncounted provisional ballots were discovered during a precertification audit last week, with.

According to Gilberto Zelaya of the Montgomery County Board of Elections, the recount will begin on Friday, Aug. 19 and is expected to conclude Sunday, Aug. 21.  The entire process will take place at the Germantown Community Recreation Center. The counting  will be livestreamed on the Board of Elections website and is open to the public.

During a news conference Wednesday, Elrich expressed gratitude for being elected for a second term to the County Executive seat. He said he has no issues with Blair’s request for a recount. 

“He has a right to request a recount, so he’s doing what he’s perfectly entitled to do,” Elrich said, adding, “I’m confident not much is going to change.”

Elrich also referenced the delay in results stemming from a Maryland law prohibiting the counting of mail-in ballots until two days after election day. He said he supports the State Board of Elections’ legal effort to prevent delayed results in future elections, saying he was “very happy” members of the Maryland State Board of Elections voted to file an emergency petition to allow canvassing of mailed-in ballots prior to election day.

Blair will not be charged for the recount, since the 35 vote difference between him and Elrich falls within the 0.25% or less margin required for the state Board of Elections to cover the costs.

This is the second time Blair and Elrich have faced off in the executive race, and the second time that Blair has called for a recount after Elrich came out on top by a narrow margin.

In 2018, the two led the crowded field of Democrats during the first primary after nearly 70 percent of voters chose to impose term limits on the county executive and county council, shaking up politics in the county and forcing many longtime officeholders to seek new offices. 

Ultimately in that 2018 race, Elrich bested Blair by 77 votes.

That close race and the crowded field led to debate over whether the county should consider ranked-choice voting.  Takoma Park is one local municipality that has opted for the approach for its Mayoral and City Council elections.

Previously:

Maryland Elections Board Takes Emergency Legal Action Seeing To Prevent Delays In Voting Results

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich Wins Nomination By 42 Votes; Blair Calls For Recount

Maryland Primary Results: Wes Moore Faces Dan Cox For Governor, Local Races Still Undecided

This story has been updated with information from the Montgomery County Board of Elections and an Aug. 17 media briefing with County Executive Marc Elrich.