ST. LOUIS 鈥 Sheriff Vernon Betts, who narrowly lost re-election last month, lost again in a recount conducted Tuesday.
Re-running ballots through the Election Board鈥檚 machines showed challenger Alfred Montgomery got 22,802 votes, or 50.24% of the total in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary to Betts鈥 22,581, or 49.76%.
Montgomery lost 58 votes, and Betts lost 23 votes on ballots that the machines did not properly process. Democratic elections director Ben Borgmeyer said he had identified the cause of the processing error and that it would not affect machines used on Election Day.
Betts could request a recount of ballots by hand, which would bypass such issues. But he would have to pay the cost, which officials say could run around $10,000.
State law provides for recounts in local races when the margin of victory is less than 1% of the total votes cast in the race. Original results showed Montgomery with 50.28% of the vote in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary to Betts鈥 49.72%.
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Montgomery鈥檚 victory followed months of sharply worded barbs between the two. The two blasted each other as either corrupt or unqualified.
At one point, they fought over a bill in the state Legislature supported by Betts that could have disqualified Montgomery from running because he was not a state-licensed peace officer.
Montgomery, 27, complained, noting that Betts, 71, wasn鈥檛 licensed when he first was elected sheriff in 2016, and the bill ended up dying in the House.
Since his victory, Montgomery has touted plans to improve deputies鈥 training and embark on an ambitious takeover of the troubled city jail, which is now run by Mayor Tishaura O. Jones鈥 administration through the city corrections division.
He has also declined to provide proof of his academic degree. Montgomery has claimed a bachelor鈥檚 degree in sociology from Arizona State University. But the ASU registrar鈥檚 office couldn鈥檛 find any record of his attendance.
Four years ago, Betts easily defeated Montgomery, 61% to 28%.
Montgomery is set to face a Libertarian, Joy Denise Dabney, in the general election Nov. 5.