Mager runner-up vote count continues

The race for second place in last week’s primary for Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager’s position remained too close to call Monday.

Jeff Holy shaved five votes off Al French’s lead for runner-up when 4,544 more ballots were counted. They were separated by 153 votes, 4,887 to 4,734, but more ballots are to be counted today and Wednesday.

Election manager Mike McLaughlin said about 6,000 ballots remained uncounted Monday, but he estimated only about 2,000 of them involved the commissioner’s race, which is limited to Mager’s district in the primary.

Mager’s vote total stood at 13,026.

The gap between French and Holy was about three times too large to justify an automatic recount.