BY RACHEL CHEESEMAN

SALEM- An update on the election for State Superintendant of Public Instruction showed that the ballots yet to be counted might have a significant impact on the results.

Currently, in statewide numbers, incumbent Superintendant Susan Castillo leads with 50.04% to 49.64% for Rep. Ron Maurer, R-Grants Pass, a difference of about 2,850 votes.

Maurer’s chief of staff, Allison MacMullin, said that Maurer has not counted himself out of this election.

“Quite frankly,” she said, “I think [the results] can go either way.”

If the margin between the two candidates shrinks to less than 0.2%, then an automatic state-funded, recount will occur.

Another possibility is that after the final ballots are counted, neither candidate will have over 50% of votes. In that case, voters would have another opportunity to vote for their candidate of choice in November in a runoff election.

Don Hamilton, spokesperson for the Secretary of State, said that some of the state’s largest counties have yet to finalize their election results. Some of these include left-leaning counties like Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas and Lane, Castillo’s home county. However, some traditionally Republican counties like Jackson and Deschutes also have yet to post their results.

In addition, according to Hamilton, write-in votes could play a large role in swinging the election, potentially leaving both candidates with less than 50% and triggering a runoff.

“If there are more write-ins, that could change,” Hamilton said. “Because she is only 301 votes above 50% right now, the last votes could affect that.”

Even if a recount isn’t triggered by a small margin in the final results, it is possible that either Castillo, Maurer or another citizen could call for a recount. The last statewide recount was in 2008 for a ballot measure and cost $113,000, according to Hamilton.

MacMullin, Maurer’s Chief of Staff, said that Maurer would not be able to personally fund a recount.

“Unless somebody offered to do it,” she said, “that would not be a possibility.”

Hamilton said recounts typically don’t drastically alter election results in statewide elections.

“We are not aware of any recount that has reversed the outcome of a statewide election,” he said. “It doesn’t change by a lot in these cases.

Jayme Rabenberg, Castillo’s campaign manager, could not be reached for comment.

The results will be final on Thursday, June 17.