McFall files for recount

By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com

November 19, 2008 12:34 pm

— Commissioner R.C. McFall filed for a recount of the Nov. 4 Johnson County Precinct 1 race Tuesday. McFall, a 15-year incumbent, lost to Republican challenger Rick Bailey by 568 votes. McFall will step down and Bailey will take office in January.
County Judge Roger Harmon said Wednesday he would issue an acceptance of McFall’s petition. Once accepted, the county has seven days to determine the date of the recount, Harmon said.
McFall has requested a hand count of the vote.
Several have suggested that McFall — along with U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, the county’s only other Democratic representative — fell victim to straight-ticket voting as Johnson County voters overwhelmingly voted for presidential candidate John McCain. Many who had voted split ticket in the past either forgot or chose not to this time, the theory goes.
Others have suggested that voters may have voted straight ticket but also marked McFall. They believe that the vote for McFall might not have been counted. Doing so, however, would still record both votes, said Patty Bourgeois, Johnson County interim elections administrator.
McFall said he doesn’t expect the result to change. He filed for the recount at the urging of numerous supporters and for his own peace of mind. McFall said he will pay for the recount.
Bailey said he also believes many voted straight-ticket Republican, which he said likely contributed to McFall’s loss as well as Edwards loss in the county. Edwards lost Johnson County but secured enough votes throughout District 17 to win re-election.
Bailey said he respects McFall’s right to contest the count, but he doesn’t expect the result to change.
“I don’t see anything coming out of it,” Bailey said. “If the difference had been a minuscule amount I could see it. But with a margin of 568 votes, I just don’t see what they’re looking for.”