The ballots will be counted by hand in the incredibly tight race for Lynnwood City Council race position seven.

Jim Smith, who’s served on the council since 1976, trails Van AuBuchon by just 12 votes. That’s well within the threshold to qualify for a hand recount.

The timing for a recount will be established by the county’s canvassing board.

“The timetable for recounts this election will be impacted by the number of recounts we have. Right now we have three races that are within recount range,” Elections Manager Garth Fell told us. “The more races we have the longer it takes to prepare and ultimately recount the ballots. With this in mind, I anticipate we will have recounts completed within two weeks of certification.”

That wasn’t the only close race this year. Newcomer Benjamin Goodwin won his race against Ed dos Remedios by just 102 votes, and Sid Roberts beat Ted Hikel by 197 votes.