SCOTT COUNTY, Iowa — Election officials have begun recounting ballots cast in the Iowa House District 98 race, which covers much of Scott County including southwest Davenport and Buffalo.
Republican Nathan Ramker requested a recount in his race against Democratic incumbent Monica Kurth of Davenport. The recount began with Kurth leading the race by 45 votes out of more than 13,000 cast.
Last Tuesday, the Scott County Board of Supervisors voted to conduct recounts for House District 98, along with Iowa's 1st Congressional District race between Christina Bohannan and Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Bohannan requested a recount earlier this month.
The initial tally puts Bohannan fewer than 1,000 votes — less than a percentage point — behind Miller-Meeks. The contest is a much tighter rematch of 2022, when Miller-Meeks won by 7 percentage points.
The recounts are being conducted by one representative from each political party and a third member agreed upon by both parties. Scott County Auditor Kerri Tompkins said she expects no drastic changes.
"I'm very confident in our numbers," Tompkins said. "We didn't have any problems with our machines, so I don't see anything changing. Normally when things go through a machine, you might find a couple, like one to three, but I don't see anything changing for either one of these."
Tompkins said the process has been running smoothly and thinks both recounts will be completed on Tuesday. The results must be certified in Iowa by Dec. 2.