ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts has filed for a recount after losing by less than 1% in the Democratic primary earlier this month.
Betts on Thursday filed a verified petition for a recount after he was defeated by Alfred Montgomery on Aug. 6. Montgomery defeated Betts by 256 votes with 45,464 votes cast, according to official election results posted to the city's website. The margin was within 1%, which is the required margin for a recount in a primary election in Missouri.
It was a successful rematch for Montgomery, who lost a previous bid against Betts in 2020 with only 28% of the vote to Betts' 61%.
According to Missouri law, the secretary of state will authorize the election authorities to conduct a recount which must be completed within 20 days of receipt of the notice of recount.
Betts has served as sheriff since 2017.
The only other person who will appear on the ballot is Libertarian Joy Denise Dabney, who garnered just 109 votes in the primary.
In an interview after the primary, Montgomery said he wants to request a state audit to see if tax dollars have been mishandled by the department. Another goal is building rapport with city leaders to see if he can offer insight on improving operations at the St. Louis City Justice Center, although that's not a specific duty of the sheriff or his deputies.
