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SALT LAKE CITY — Hoping to strip Rep. Lavar Christensen of his three-vote win, Democrat Suzanne Harrison has formally requested a recount.
Harrison filed the request with the Salt Lake County Clerk last week.
The House District 32 race has been razor-thin all along. On election night, Christensen, R-Draper, trailed Harrison by 195 votes.
But as more votes were counted through the canvass period, Christensen closed the gap and eventually flipped the race to take the lead before Salt Lake County finalized results Tuesday.
Because the race was decided by less than 0.25 percent, state law allows Harrison to call for a recount.
Salt Lake County Elections Director Rozan Mitchell said she expects the recount to be completed by the end of the day Dec. 5.
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Canvass: Rep. Lavar Christensen wins race by 3 votes
Thanks to only three votes, one of Utah's most outspoken conservatives may keep his place in the House, despite lagging behind on election night.Harrison said she trusts the system and appreciates the county clerk's efforts.
"We've requested a recount just to make sure the votes are counted properly," Harrison said. "We support the process and the time it will take to do it."
Christensen said he's "hopeful that the recount will confirm" his victory.
Christensen is one of the Utah House's most outspoken conservative voices. He penned Utah's same-sex marriage ban, which has since been overturned by federal courts.
Harrison is head of the anesthesiology department at Riverton Hospital.
