Sioux Falls mayoral candidates separated by two votes: "Every vote matters"

The 2 candidates successful the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, mayor's contention are separated by lone 2 votes, a region authoritative confirmed to CBS News. A recount is apt aft the metropolis is capable to canvas the votes and certify the results. 

Christine Erickson is 2 votes up of Jamie Smith, the Minnehaha County Auditors and Elections Office said. Sioux Falls is South Dakota's largest city, with implicit 210,000 people. With each precincts reporting, Smith had received 18,278 votes, and Erickson had received 18,280 votes.

After the certification, either campaigner tin petition for a recount, which volition automatically beryllium granted if the quality successful votes is little than 2%. 

Erickson is simply a erstwhile subordinate of the South Dakota House of Representatives, having Erickson championed information arsenic her superior interest successful Sioux Falls passim her campaign. 

Smith is simply a existent authorities legislator for South Dakota and besides was the Democratic nominee successful 2022 for governor. Smith ran connected a run based astir nationalist safety, economical development, collaborative decision-making. He touted endorsements from South Dakotan politicians connected some sides of the aisle. 

Both candidates person expressed their committedness to ensuring a just election, and a spot successful the recount process. Erickson said successful a connection that her squad plans to determination guardant with "accuracy and transparency."

"We're going to enactment hard to marque definite that if I received much votes aft the aft we bash a recount, that the close persons successful that bureau based upon what the radical wanted," Smith told CBS News.

In a telephone interrogation with CBS News, Smith said "this is an illustration to everybody successful the state that a batch of times people, you know, deliberation that their ballot conscionable doesn't matter, and this is an illustration wherever it shows you that each ballot matters, and truthful you cognize conscionable to enactment and get retired determination and ballot is truly important."

In a  quality merchandise Erickson said "I americium beyond grateful for the accidental to pb Sioux Falls guardant for the adjacent 4 years." 

Both candidates person been keeping up the momentum arsenic they caput toward a recount. 

"Even though the polls person closed, the combat continues. We cognize determination volition beryllium a recount and I consciousness assured going into this adjacent phase," Erickson added. 

"It's not implicit 'til it's over," Smith said.