Trahan, Koh collecting signatures for possible recount

The battle for the 3rd Congressional District remains so tight that both candidates are collecting signatures for a possible recount, depending on which way the final ballots fall.

Lori Trahan remains ahead of Daniel Koh by a scant 52 votes with all 225 precincts reporting, but all provisional ballots are still out.

Trahan, who served as chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan, declared victory late Tuesday night, but Koh, a former top aide for Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, hasn’t conceded. Gretchen Grosky, spokeswoman for Trahan, repeated yesterday that her boss believes she has won and is moving on to focusing on the general election against Republican Rick Green.

“We expect Mr. Koh will file for a recount, and we’re doing our due diligence by collecting signatures — just as he is — to preserve our rights in the process,” Grosky said yesterday.

An unknown number — Koh estimates hundreds, and city and town clerks say it’s at least dozens — of provisional ballots remains uncounted. Provisional ballots are counted after all the other votes. These are the ballots given to people showing up to the booths whose voter legitimacy is in question. They take longer to count because the cities and towns have to research the potential voters to see if their claims are legitimate.

The race appears to be falling well within the halfpercent threshold needed for a recount. A candidate wanting a recount must collect 500 signatures from across the district over the next few days. Notice must go to local officials by this evening, and Secretary of State William J. Galvin’s office by Tuesday. The recount would happen by Sept. 17 in a public place yet to be determined.