At the request of Wicomico County Board of Education candidate David Goslee, there will be a manual recount of paper ballots containing votes for him and his challenger, Bill Turner.

Goslee made the request of the Wicomico County Board of Elections after he lost the Nov. 6 election by one vote. The men are both running for a seat representing District 3. The final count was 3,056 to 3,055.

Turner claimed 184 of the 350 absentee and provisional votes that were tallied and verified last week. Goslee received 166 absentees and provisionals.

A provisional ballot allows someone who thinks he or she is an eligible voter to vote.

Early this week, Anthony Gutierrez, Director of the Board of Elections, confirmed the recount would commence on Tuesday but said he didn’t know how long it would take.

“We are required by regulation to continue the process until we are finished, or until the candidate requests us to stop,” Gutierrez said.

Goslee asked for a manual recount.

The Board of Education is scheduled to swear in members on Monday.

Before votes could be recounted, the Board of Elections had to certify local results, pronounce them official and inform the state Board of Elections, Gutierrez said.

There is no deadline to finish recounting, but Gutierrez said it will have to be completed by Dec. 11, when final vote totals are due to the state. Goslee told the Salisbury Independent the county will pay for the process.

Turner called the recount “a surprising turn of events” and said he will wait for the outcome.

He was the incumbent in the nonpartisan race; appointed in August to fill a vacancy created by the transition from an appointed to an elected panel.

Goslee said he was urged to request a recount.

“I had a lot of calls from constituents who said, ‘You were leading, then at last minute you were losing by one vote.’ I was ahead by 10, then an hour and a half later I was down by 1.

“I just think a recount is in order to lay everything to rest and satisfy a lot of people who backed me and everything,” Goslee said.

“I’m taking a wait-and-see attitude and see what happens. Then I’ll make a statement,” the Powellville resident added.

The recount request is simply policy and nothing against Turner, he said.

“I would expect him to do the same thing. I think anybody would,” he said.

Goslee was nominated for a Board of Education seat 12 years ago, but not appointed by the governor.

He had a career in law enforcement and has owned DOT Training and Service for 22 years.