The Canvassing Board meet Thursday morning at the Box Butte County Courthouse, and after adding the provisional and absentee ballots to the Tuesday mix, county commissioner candidate Doug Hashman still leads Marvin Toedtli, but by only 20 votes.

County Clerk Judy Messersmith says the slim margin of less than one percent will require an automatic recount … unless Toedtli signs a recount waiver.

Toedtli, a former Box Butte County Commissioner, is expected to inform Messersmith on Friday as to whether or not he will offer the waiver.  If the recount goes forward, Messersmith says it will probably take place Nov. 13 or Nov. 14.

The updated numbers reveal Hashman has 2,330 votes to Toedtli’s 2,310.

In the race for the third seat on the Alliance School Board, Deb Grothen-Wegehoft now holds a 76 vote lead in the Box Butte County vote.

Messersmith says she is still waiting on certified numbers from Sheridan County and Morrill County voters that have property in the APS district before she can officially declare Grothen-Wegehoft the winner.

Number updates from Thursday’s count include:

Alliance School Board

Duane Dobson 3,075

Terry Curtiss 2,812

Deb Grothen-Wegehoft 2,111

Troy Schnell 2,035

Alliance City Council

Wally Seiler 2,362

Fred Feldges 1,964

Lori Rowley 1,569

Hemingford Village Board

Deb Planansky 269

Kenneth Luce 213

Jim Keegan 168

Lee Cheek 152

Hemingford School Board – Ward A

Trish Schumacher 487

Blaine Magnuson 220

President

Mitt Romney 2,869

Barack Obama 1,692

U.S. Senate

Deb Fischer 2,838

Bob Kerrey 1,860

Legislative District 43

Al Davis 2,585

John Ravenscroft 987

Congressional Third District

Adrian Smith 3,313

Mark Sullivan 1,339

4,763 ballots were cast in Box Butte County, which equates to a 63.5% voter turnout, a new record for Box Butte County.  The previous record was 62.2%.