Multiple Chesapeake City Council and School Board races could face recount requests after unofficial results from the Nov. 3 election showed narrow margins between candidates near the cutoff for the final seats.

The Virginian-Pilot reported that several candidates finished close enough to the apparent winners to raise questions about recounts under Virginia law.

Provisional ballots were still outstanding as of Wednesday, Nov. 4, and the Chesapeake Electoral Board has until Friday, Nov. 13, to certify the results, according to the city's official election results page.

As we reported Nov. 2, five at-large seats were on the ballot for both City Council and School Board.

City Council

Fifteen candidates ran for five City Council seats.

Unofficial tallies from all 66 election-day precincts as of 10 p.m. Nov. 3 showed challenger Janelle St. Louis leading with 42,017 votes. Incumbent Amanda Newins followed with 40,984, along with challenger Santiera Brown-Yearling at 40,817.

Challenger Daniel Rosinski held fourth place with 39,645 votes, followed by incumbent E.R. "Jeff" Jefferies Jr. in fifth with 39,225.

Just below the five-seat cutoff, Jennifer Naperala received 38,622 votes, incumbent Daniel Whitaker received 38,301 and Todd Mayfield received 38,182, according to the city's election-night tallies. Eric Wray II received 35,667.

The margin between Jefferies and Naperala was 603 votes, approximately 0.77% of their combined vote total. That falls within Virginia's 1% threshold for a recount petition if the margin remains within the threshold after certification.

The other trailing candidates listed were outside that threshold based on the city's Nov. 3 figures.

Naperala told the Virginian-Pilot it was too early to consider a recount because outstanding provisional ballots could be a "game changer" for some candidates.

Whitaker said in a statement that he had come to terms with the results and was not considering a recount.

St. Louis, the top vote-getter, told the Virginian-Pilot she was "still in shock."

Rosinski said in a statement that the results sent a message about residents wanting their voices heard on costs, development and transparency.

School Board

Thirteen candidates competed for five School Board seats.

Updated unofficial state election returns reported Nov. 4 placed incumbents Kim Scott and Amanda Quillin among the five leading candidates, along with Janika Phillips, Jeremiah Harrell and Andrea Bolden.

The updated figures placed Bolden fifth with 40,174 votes, just 388 ahead of Antonia Fauntleroy's 39,786.

Those results reversed their positions in the city's earlier election-night count, which showed Fauntleroy in fifth place with 40,019 votes and Bolden in sixth with 39,903.

The Nov. 4 figures were reported in a Hampton Roads election-results compilation based on Virginia Department of Elections returns. They remain unofficial and could change as additional ballots are counted.

The 388-vote margin is approximately 0.49% of the combined votes for Bolden and Fauntleroy, within the statutory threshold for a possible recount petition if it remains that close after certification.

No recount has been ordered. The available reporting did not establish that any School Board candidate had formally requested one.

What comes next

Under Virginia Code § 24.2-800, a defeated candidate may petition for a recount when the margin between that candidate and an apparent winner is no more than 1% of the combined votes cast for those two candidates.

In races with multiple winners, the apparent winner used for recount purposes is the winning candidate with the lowest vote total, according to the Virginia Department of Elections' recount guidance.

A recount is not automatic.

A petition cannot be filed until the results have been certified. Under Virginia Code § 24.2-801, an eligible candidate has 10 days after certification to file a recount petition in the appropriate circuit court.

Chesapeake's election-night report said two remaining reporting categories represented absentee ballots received after Election Day but before the Nov. 6 deadline, along with provisional ballots.

The Chesapeake Electoral Board is expected to complete certification by Nov. 13.

Until then, the City Council and School Board standings remain unofficial, and the margins determining recount eligibility may change.