Those of you reading today’s story about the election results might be wondering what all the rules are for a recount. You’re thinking knowledge of this might come in handy at that next mixer, or when you have to talk when the band takes a break. This is information sure to impress would-be suitors. Well, it would have impressed me back when I was . . . suiting. Then again I was impressed by anyone who could find Russia on a map.

I can’t profess to give you all of them, but here are a few.

The standards for automatic recounts (Those the county or state pays for whether any candidate wants one or not. I say that because I’m sure there are some candidates who are relieved to lose, who love to give speeches and mix with the people, but don’t relish the idea of actually learning the finer details of accounting and fecal treatment for four years.) per RCW 29A.64.021 are they are done by machine if the two contenders are within a half percentage point of each other and within 2,000 votes.

In Kitsap County the Bremerton Transportation Proposition 1 (the car tabs initiative), the Bainbridge school bond and EMS levy, a few school board races, some unopposed candidates and the Port of Bremerton commissioner contest were the ones that beat the 2,000-vote margin. As of Monday, all were beating the half-percentage point standard.

For a hand recount the standard is that the contenders are within a quarter percentage point of each other and within 150 votes. In statewide races the rule is within 1,000 votes and that quarter percentage point.

Should a candidate want a recount even if the totals don’t call for an automatic one, they can pay for it themselves, but if the recount proves that the first or second count was wrong you and I pay for it when we order the biscuits and gravy at Pat’s or return that Valentine’s letter some of us get every year.

From RCW 29A.64.081

The canvassing board shall determine the expenses for conducting a recount of votes.

The cost of the recount shall be deducted from the amount deposited by the applicant for the recount at the time of filing the request for the recount, and the balance shall be returned to the applicant. If the costs of the recount exceed the deposit, the applicant shall pay the difference. No charges may be deducted by the canvassing board from the deposit for a recount if the recount changes the result of the nomination or election for which the recount was ordered.

In Kitsap County the deposit required is 15 cents a ballot for a manual recount and 25 cents each for a hand recount. For Bremerton City Councilman Brad Gehring, should he decide to ask for a recount in his council race against Jim McDonald it would be about $135 for a machine count and about $225 for a hand count.

Asked Monday if he would ask for a recount should the totals fall outside automatic recount range, Gehring said he would not. “I can’t afford to do that,” he said.

Earlier Tuesday another employee in the newsroom handed out the election pool sheet. It only cost a buck, so I was ready to play. I got down a few races, though, and started agonizing over my picks. I crumpled up the paper and threw it away. I should have stuck with that decision. I’m better at predicting that I’m out a buck than I am at local races.

Sometime this afternoon 1400 KITZ had me on an afternoon show talking aboutt the elections for a couple of minutes. I at least got my predictions about how Kitsap voters would respond to R-71 and I-1033 right.

About a half hour before election numbers were posted the guys at that Outlaw Radio Network talked to me about my thoughts on the races. You can still hear me making what is now a ridiculous prediction, that Lynn Horton would probably win the port commissioner race. My mistake there came because I forgot that it was only one commissioner district that gave Horton that big win in the primary and that all three districts would vote in the general. My bad.

Holy cow, my bad.

For the record, I lost last year’s office election pool in the tie-breaker.

Kitsap Sun reporters Chris Henry and Derek Sheppard wrote stories for the two statewide issues on the ballots, which many of you have already received.

Initiative 1033 would limit government revenue increases to the cost of living plus population growth.

Referendum 71 would keep in place the “Everything but Marriage,” bill, which extended pretty much all marriage rights to domestic partnerships, except that they can’t call it a marriage.

Sheppard’s story indicates polling shows 71 is a close call. In May I wrote on this blog, “Maybe I’m jumping the gun by interpreting the early quiet as disinterest.” I was referring to the fact that there seemed to be little attention being paid to this issue locally or nationally. The local interest has arrived, though it still doesn’t feel to me like the emotional issue Prop 8 was in California.

Nationally, though, 71 seems to be getting little attention at all, and for me I wonder if it goes back to the fact that Washington would call gay committed relationships “domestic partnerships” and not “marriage.” I get e-mails from one of the chief opponents of gay marriage and in the most recent correspondences there were mentions of efforts in Maine, Iowa, the District of Columbia and New York. On Washington? Zero.

By the way, the Sun also has its endorsements out on the editorial page.

On the home page we’re asking what your biggest surprise was Tuesday night. Go weigh in and in a few days I might tell you my pick. I don’t normally vote in Kitsap Sun polls, but I did tonight.