District 1 Orange County Commission race heads to automatic recount 

Updated 12:22 a.m. Wednesday to reflect Austin Arthur quote.

After all the votes were counted, just five votes separated candidates Austin Arthur and Commissioner Nicole Wilson in their race for the District 1 seat on the Orange County Commission during the state-wide Aug. 20 primary. 

Of 28,099 ballots cast in the District 1 county commissioner race, Wilson received 14,052 and 50.01 percent of the vote while Arthur received 14,047 and 49.99 percent of the vote. 

That means recount.

“This is razor thin,” Supervisor of Elections spokesperson Christopher Heath told VoxPopuli shortly after the results were posted. “This is 100 percent going to a recount.” 

The ballot count was a roller coaster of a contest as initial results saw Wilson leading shortly after the polls closed. But by 8 p.m., Arthur was up by 24, then 27. Then, with all the Election Day ballots and last mail-in ballots counted, the results flipped again, and Wilson was up by five . 

It’s likely the final results of this race won’t be known until late Thursday after ballot curing, which allows signature errors on mail-in ballots to be corrected, is completed, or Friday. Once the curing process is complete, there will be a machine recount of District 1 ballots, per statute. If the candidates are still within 0.25 percent or less of each other, a hand recount will be done.  

"We're closely monitoring the ongoing process and remain confident in our initial lead," Arthur told VoxPopuli via text message Tuesday night. "We won strongly in both in-person early voting and Election Day voting. I look forward to the process vindicating our win."

Wilson did not immediately respond to VoxPopuli's request for comment.

In the unlikely event of a tie, Florida statute directs candidates to "draw lots," Heath said. Since that's not fully outlined in the statute, it would be up to Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean to determine what that might entail.

This is a developing story.