State Sen. Jim Reynolds will serve another four years in the Legislature.
His Democratic challenger today withdrew his complaint that alleged irregularities occurred in the Nov. 4 Senate District 43 race.
A hearing on the complaint was scheduled for this afternoon in Oklahoma County District Court.
David Boren said he withdrew his challenge because there wasn’t enough time to find the people whom he believed voted irregularly and to get them all to court in time for today’s hearing.
Boren, not related to University of Oklahoma President David Boren, earlier sought a recount of the votes cast in the district that covers parts of Cleveland and Oklahoma counties.
Unofficial results showed Reynolds won by 157 votes.
After a two-day recount last week, Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, picked up two votes.
Boren, of Moore, paid $4,500 for the recount. He claimed in his complaint alleging irregularities that at least 161 votes were from people who lived outside the district, but he conceded today some could have been voters who had moved away but had not changed their voting registration.
Boren dropping his complaint clears the way for Reynolds to be sworn in for his third and final four-year term. Legislators in Oklahoma are prohibited form serving more than 12 years.
Newly elected and re-elected senators will be sworn in at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Reynolds will attend the ceremony, but he won’t be able to take his oath of office until the state Election Board certifies the Senate District 43 election results. The Election Board is scheduled to meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
State Senator Jim Reynolds has picked up two additional votes over challenger David Boren following a recount in the close Senate District 43 race.
The recount began Wednesday in Cleveland and Oklahoma counties and concluded today.
Figures provided by Election Board Secretary Mike Clingman indicate that before the recount Reynolds, a Republican, led by 157 votes after all absentee and provisional ballots were counted from the November 4 election. After the recount, Reynolds led by 159 votes.
One person watching the re-count said "Looks like the other side paid $4,500 only to lose by two more votes."
But the recount does not mean the end of the election dispute. A hearing is scheduled at 3pm on Monday at the Oklahoma County Courthouse to hear allegations of voting irregularities made by both candidates.
Boren, a Democrat, is not related to University of Oklahoma President David Boren.
Election workers in two counties sifted through ballots Wednesday to determine the outcome of a contested Senate seat in a district that includes Oklahoma and Cleveland counties.
So far, Jim Reynolds has pick up a vote in Cleveland County and David Boren has pick up 4 votes in Oklahoma County, making a net gain for Boren of 3 votes. But sill very far from the 157 votes He needs.
Workers in Oklahoma County are expected to resume the count today in the race between Democrat David Boren and Republican incumbent Jim Reynolds.
Boren asked for a recount of the Nov. 4 election ballots in Senate District 43. The difference between the two candidates was 157 votes in latest unofficial vote totals, state election officials said.
Election workers in Cleveland County finished their recount just after 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Boren, a nurse who is not related to the University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren, said he wanted to make sure every vote was counted.
The recount began in Cleveland County shortly after a judge made a ruling at a morning hearing. In Oklahoma County, however, things did not go as smoothly.
A hearing on the recount and allegations of voter irregularities was delayed because Boren was not in court in time for the 10 a.m. hearing. Boren, who represented himself in court, said he was delayed because he was in Cleveland County. Boren arrived in the Oklahoma County courtroom about 10:50 a.m.
Both men had alleged voting irregularities occurred, but while waiting for Boren to arrive, Reynolds’ attorney Tom Prince agreed to drop that complaint.
A few minutes after the hearing was set to begin, District Judge Daniel Owens received a fax from the state Supreme Court advising him Boren asked that Owens be removed from the voter irregularity case.
Later in the day, the higher court assigned the voter irregularity case to Judge Bill Hetherington in Cleveland County. Hetherington is expected to hear arguments on the voter irregularities in Oklahoma County at 3 p.m. Monday.
The recount in Oklahoma County began shortly before noon and election workers were about halfway done when they recessed Wednesday evening.
Counting is expected to resume at 9 a.m. today at the Oklahoma County Election Board.
Reynolds, who has served in the Senate eight years, finished first in the election with 50.3 percent of the vote. Boren received 49.7 percent.
A re-count has been ordered in the Oklahoma Senate District 43 race, which incumbent Republican Jim Reynolds won by 159 votes, according to final but unofficial returns.
David Boren, the Democratic candidate, requested the re-count, alleging voting irregularities. Reynolds also alleged irregularities in the race.
Boren is not related to University of Oklahoma President David Boren, a former legislator, governor and U.S. senator.
The District 43 re-count will begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Cleveland County and at 10 a.m. in Oklahoma County on the same day.
More than 27,000 residents of the two counties voted in Tuesday's election, which saw Republicans picked up two seats to grab a majority in the Senate for the first time in state history.
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