The Oak Harbor mayoral candidate who asked for a manual recount ended the election with one fewer vote after the tally was completed last week.

Pat Harman said he didn’t expect a change in the result when he requested the count, but rather wanted to test the integrity of the ballot reading software.

His opponent, incumbent mayor Bob Severns ended with a net zero change after election workers found that one lightly inked “X” had been incorrectly marked as an undervote and another ballot with neither box marked had been counted as a vote for Severns.

Harman finished with 1,804 votes and Severns 2,290.

Harman decided to request a recount after it was reported that the precinct-level election results had displayed incorrectly for a number of races, in some cases making it appear as if the candidate vote totals were incorrect.

He said the recount results have renewed his confidence in the reported outcomes and tallies for the rest of the contests.

The secretary of state’s office worked with county officials to fix the display issue, and officials said the vote totals were correct. Results were certified Nov. 26.

In the final count, Councilwoman Tara Hizon maintained her Oak Harbor City Council seat with 2,162 votes, which is 54.6 percent.

Jeffery Mack won more than 52 percent of the vote in the race for outgoing Councilman Rick Almberg’s seat. Mack had 1,964 ballots in his favor and his opponent Joseph Busig finished with 1,764.

The city’s measure to raise the sales tax by two-tenths of 1 percent for street repair and maintenance over 10 years maintained strong support, with 2,322 “yes” votes, which is nearly 56 percent.

Marvin Koorn kept his position as North Whidbey Fire and Rescue commissioner, finishing with a healthy lead and nearly 58 percent of the vote. Koorn earned 2,825 ballots in his favor and Theresa Jenkins had 2,028.