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Provisional voters could decide next Attorney General

Posted at 1:50 PM, Nov 08, 2013
and last updated 2013-11-08 14:51:03-05

HANOVER COUNTY, Va (WTVR) -- Election Day was Tuesday, now another deadline has passed for those who submitted a provisional ballot for the Virginia Attorney General race.

Provisional voters had until noon Friday to show the proper ID to make sure the vote they cast counted.

The battle to become Virginia's next Attorney General has turned into a razor-thin race. Hanover County Registrar Teri Smithson said watching it all play out is "exhilarating, it's a buzz, it's like something epic."

The race is expected to come down to provisional ballots, which could either find Republican Mark Obenshain or Democrat Mark Herring as the next Attorney General.

"Folks believe I'm casting a provisional ballot, it's not going to work, I'm not going to get counted," Smithson said.  "That is so not the case."

The two candidates have been running neck and neck. 

On Friday afternoon, Obenshain was ahead by more than 700 votes.

However with possibly thousands of provisional ballots across the state still being tallied, the outcome could change.

"Of the 43 provisional ballots, we had eight of them count," Smithson said.  "That's eight more votes and with it being so close it could absolutely tip the scale."

Once the provisional ballots are verified, the state requires they be submitted by Wednesday of next week.

Since the vote is so close, a recount is likely whichever candidate is declared the winner. That recount could happen as early as November 25.