Three Vote Difference In Kaufman County Court at Law No. 2 in Republican Primary
In a state where “every vote counts” is often dismissed as campaign rhetoric, the Republican primary for Kaufman County Court at Law No. 2 turned the phrase into a mathematical reality.
After 12,985 ballots were counted across the county, Bobby Rich emerged with the narrowest possible mandate — a three-vote victory over Rob Farquharson, splitting the electorate almost perfectly in half.
When early voting totals were released, Farquharson held the lead.
Rob Farquharson: 4,118 early votes
Bobby Rich: 3,971 early votes
That 147-vote advantage typically provides a comfortable cushion heading into Election Day. In most countywide races, such a margin would be difficult to overcome.
But Tuesday’s final round of voting told a different story.
Election Day Turnaround
As Election Day precincts reported, Rich steadily chipped away at the gap.
When the final boxes were counted, Rich had outperformed Farquharson in same-day voting:
Bobby Rich: 2,409 Election Day votes
Rob Farquharson: 2,263 Election Day votes
The shift erased Farquharson’s early advantage and pushed the race into a virtual dead heat.
Absentee Ballots Offer No Separation
Even absentee ballots failed to create meaningful distance between the candidates.
Rich: 114 absentee votes
Farquharson: 110 absentee votes
With each update, the margin tightened to fractions of a percent.
Final Results
When the final precinct reported and the election dashboard displayed 100% reporting, the result was almost perfectly split:
Bobby Rich: 6,494 votes (50.01%)
Rob Farquharson: 6,491 votes (49.99%)
The difference: three votes.
In percentage terms, the margin was 0.02%.
A Race That May Trigger a Recount
Under Texas election law, a candidate may request a recount when the margin is extremely small. With just three votes separating the candidates, the race is well within recount territory.
Whether that process occurs could determine if this razor-thin result stands as final.
A Reminder About Turnout
Countywide races rarely demonstrate the power of individual voters as clearly as this one.
Out of nearly 13,000 ballots, the race for County Court at Law No. 2 is down to three people.
In other words, if two voters had made a different choice, the outcome would have flipped. The race being this close means that there could be a recount and provisional ballots may still play a big role in the outcome.
