Markowitz won by 10 votes, Bailey petitioned for recount
~ PVN staff report
LURAY, Dec. 8 — Next Thursday at 10 a.m., the 8,762 ballots cast in the four-way race for clerk of the court in Page County will be counted a second time to ensure accuracy. The Dec. 14 recount was ordered by a circuit court judge following a Nov. 27 hearing in which the runner-up — independent challenger and former clerk staffer Kim Bailey — requested a recount.
When the unofficial results were released late on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 7 — with five of six precincts reporting (excluding provisional ballots) — independent incumbent Grayson Markowitz had retained his seat by a mere 14 votes over Bailey. Once 48 provisional ballots had been added to the mix, the margin narrowed to only 10.
With 18 ballots going to write-in candidates, here’s how the remaining ballots were recorded:
- 2,444 — Grayson Markowitz, 27.89%
- 2,434 — Kim Bailey, 27.78%
- 2,046 — Stephanie Breeden, 23.35%
- 1,820 — Shirron Ballard, 20.77%
In Virginia, a recount is not automatic, regardless of the margin — it must be requested. Bailey was the only local candidate (albeit in the tightest race) to request a recount, despite several close races on Nov. 7. A seat on the Shenandoah Council was decided by 49 votes (among 741 ballots cast); a seat on the board of supervisors showed a margin of only 129 votes (among 1,777 ballots cast); and even the highly controversial sheriff’s race came to a margin of 348 votes — less than 4 percent of the 8,911 ballots cast in that race.
However, the 10-vote margin in the clerk’s race — among the 8,762 ballots cast — represents a difference of just over one-tenth of 1 percent of the ballots cast.
A candidate has 10 days from the day the votes are certified to petition the court for a recount. Since the local electoral board certified the local count on Monday, Nov. 13 — the 10-day window would extend to Thursday, Nov. 23, Thanksgiving. Due to the holiday, the window for the recount petition was extended to Monday, Nov. 27.
While Markowitz did well in Districts 1 and 2, Bailey won Districts 3, 4 and 5. Districts 4 and 5 almost mirrored each other. Here’s a breakdown of the close count by magisterial district:
DISTRICT 1
- 668 — Grayson Markowitz, 40%
- 392 — Stephanie Breeden, 23.5%
- 310 — Shirron Ballard, 18.6%
- 294 — Kim Bailey, 17.6%
DISTRICT 2
- 633 — Grayson Markowitz, 34.4%
- 479 — Stephanie Breeden, 26%
- 371 — Shirron Ballard, 20.2%
- 356 — Kim Bailey, 19.4%
DISTRICT 3
- 701 — Kim Bailey, 33.9%
- 512 — Stephanie Breeden, 24.7%
- 444 — Shirron Ballard, 21.5%
- 411 — Grayson Markowitz, 19.9%
DISTRICT 4
- 548 — Kim Bailey, 34.2%
- 388 — Grayson Markowitz, 24.2%
- 343 — Shirron Ballard, 21.4%
- 320 — Stephanie Breeden, 20%
DISTRICT 5
- 523 — Kim Bailey, 33.9%
- 348 — Shirron Ballard, 22.6%
- 336 — Grayson Markowitz, 21.8%
- 330 — Stephanie Breeden, 21.4%
Final ballots cast in the 2023 election in Page County edged up to 9,260 for a final voter turnout of 53.7 percent.
Check Page County election results by CLICKING HERE.
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