Democrat Mark R. Herring extended his lead over Republican Mark D. Obenshain in the Virginia attorney general’s race Tuesday, after Fairfax County elections officials tallied their outstanding provisional ballots.
Mr. Herring leads Mr. Obenshain by 163 votes with just hours to go before a deadline to certify and submit ballots to the State Board of Elections.
Fairfax officials said they accepted 271 of 493 provisional ballots cast in the county. Officials said Mr. Herring won 160 of the votes and Mr. Obenshain took 103.
The results of the race have been shifting since Tuesday’s election, as polling officials account for a series of adjustments and simple human errors that have changed the vote tally. Analysts say the fluctuations are routine and are often unnoticed in races decided by much larger margins.
At one point in the attorney general’s race, the candidates were separated by just 17 votes out of 2.2 million ballots cast.
The bloc of provisional ballots in Fairfax was the largest outstanding group of untallied votes from the Nov. 5 election left to be counted before the 11:59 p.m. deadline for localities to submit their totals.
The state board has until Nov. 25 to certify election results. No matter which side wins, the race is almost certain to be headed to a recount. Recounts are not automatic in Virginia but can be requested in contests decided by a margin of a half percent or less.
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