Tom Derzypolski will face P.J. Perez in the November runoff for Tallahassee City Commission Seat 3 after a manual recount increased Derzypolski’s advantage over Talethia Edwards to 15 votes.
The Leon County Canvassing Board completed the manual recount Monday, Aug. 24, and certified the official results of the 2026 primary election, according to the Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office.
The final tally showed Derzypolski with 10,533 votes compared to 10,518 for Edwards, according to WCTV. Perez, who finished first in the six-candidate primary, received 11,634 votes.
The final result capped nearly a week of uncertainty in a race in which the margin between Derzypolski and Edwards changed several times as election officials completed the canvassing and recount process.
On election night, Derzypolski led Edwards by 24 votes. After election officials reviewed provisional ballots and vote-by-mail ballots that required additional attention, the margin dropped to 14 votes.
A machine recount conducted over the weekend narrowed the margin again. WCTV reported that Derzypolski lost one vote during that process, leaving him 13 votes ahead of Edwards. Because the margin remained below the threshold requiring a manual recount, the Canvassing Board ordered the hand review.
During Monday’s manual recount, election workers reviewed 2,122 ballots identified as undervotes or overvotes in the Seat 3 contest. Of those, 25 ballots were presented to the Canvassing Board to determine voter intent.
The board determined that four of the 25 ballots contained valid votes that should be added to the totals. Derzypolski received two of those votes, while Perez and Darryl “Dar Wavemaker” Alfred each received one. The other 21 ballots remained classified as undervotes or overvotes. The two additional votes for Derzypolski increased his advantage over Edwards from 13 to the final 15-vote margin.
The Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office subsequently announced that the Canvassing Board had completed the manual recount and certified the official primary election results.
Both Derzypolski and Edwards praised the way the recount was conducted.
Derzypolski called Leon County’s election operation “world-class” and said the process was conducted methodically and transparently. Edwards also thanked Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley, the Canvassing Board and elections staff, describing the process as meticulous.
Derzypolski now advances to the Nov. 3 general election against Perez. The winner will replace Jeremy Matlow, who gave up Seat 3 to run for mayor.
The final outcome means a race that began with six candidates and tens of thousands of ballots cast ultimately came down to 15 votes separating second and third place.
Be the first to leave a comment on this article.