Recount looms in Nye County race

Oh, Nye County. Nothing is ever easy for you, is it?

Already in the news for the legal mess involving its longtime district attorney, the rural county now finds itself with another bit of election year craziness to contend with: a tie.

Incumbent County Commissioner Andrew "Butch" Borasky and challenger Carl Moore Sr. could end up drawing cards to decide who wins the Republican primary.

First, though, their 381-381 deadlock will be tested by a recount.

Borasky, who is seeking his second term on the commission, said he wants to see the ballots counted again, and he is hoping Moore will split the cost with him.

"I don't know if there is going to be a change, but I think we should try that first," Borasky said. "I hate to have to gamble to win. That may be what has to happen."

The results won't become official until the County Commission conducts a canvass of the election on June 15.

After that, Moore and Borasky will have three days to request a recount.

If they are still tied after that, state law calls for the candidates to "draw lots" to determine the winner.

A deck of playing cards seems to be the preferred method in Nevada.

In 2004, Ray Urrizaga won a seat on the White Pine County Commission when he drew a queen of clubs to beat Bob Swetich's seven of diamonds.

Two years earlier, R.J. Gillum and Dolores "Dee" Honeycutt drew cards to break a tie in a race for the Esmeralda County Commission.

Each flipped over a jack, with Gillum's spades beating Honeycutt's diamonds.

Nye County Clerk Sandra "Sam" Merlino on Wednesday said she still is running the numbers, but a recount could take up to three days and cost as much as $8,000.

If it comes to drawing lots, Merlino said she will let the candidates decide the rules and the method: cards, dice, a coin toss, maybe draw straws.

Borasky already has some questions about that.

"I don't know who's going to shuffle the cards, who's going to going to hold the deck, who goes first, all that," he said.

Moore could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The winner will face Libertarian Sandra Darby in the Nov. 2 general election.

Asked whether he's a gambling man, Borasky said, "I've been known to pull a slot machine handle from time to time."

He also plays online poker on his home computer. He even has been known to play a few virtual hands while he is on the phone with a reporter.

In other notable primary election results from Nye County, the following occurred:

■ Two-term incumbent Sheriff Tony DeMeo easily advanced to the general election, where he will face Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Scott Cobel.

DeMeo received 46 percent of the vote, compared with Cobel's 25 percent in the five-man nonpartisan primary race.

■ Incumbent County Commissioner Fely Quitevis was trounced by Republican challenger Dan Schinhoffen, who received 70 percent of the votes cast.

Schinhoffen will face Democrat Laurayne Murray in the general election.

■ In the Republican primary for district attorney, four-term incumbent Bob Beckett received 404 votes, or less than 9 percent of the ballots cast, and finished last out of five candidates.

The winner was Ron Kent, a former chief deputy prosecutor who Beckett fired shortly after he announced his candidacy. Kent advanced to the general election by outpolling his former boss by 1,072 votes.

Beckett's defeat came one month after he was booked on embezzlement and other charges in connection with a bank account his office managed for more than a decade.

He responded to his arrest with a flurry of unusual legal maneuvers, including the appointment of two special prosecutors and the filing of criminal charges against the sheriff's detective who arrested him.

About 36 percent of Nye County voters cast ballots in the primary, double the turnout statewide.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.