Maryland's 6th District is still close, and it could determine Congress' balance of power

ROCKVILLE, Md. — The election might be over, but there are still plenty of votes to count. Election officials across the country have mail-in-and provisional ballots to add to the totals.

Some of those votes could set the balance of power in Congress. Including one in the DMV.

While the U.S. Senate is projected to be under Republican control, the House of Representatives could still go either way. One of the races that has become important for both parties is Maryland’s 6th District.

In that district, Democrat April McClain Delaney leads Republican Neil Parrot in a race that is too close to call. At last check, they are separated by less than a percentage point, around 1,300 votes.

There are still thousands of votes to count. From the looks of it, the majority come out of Montgomery County, when McClain Delaney has a strong two-to-one lead in votes already counted. At this point, neither candidate is claiming victory or conceding.

Mail-in ballots are a huge chunk of Maryland’s votes. This year voters requested more than 881,000. To date, there are still more than 309,000 left to be canvassed and counted. They will get counted as long as they were postmarked by Election Day. They can be counted up to Nov. 15.

But let’s say, after Friday that the 6th District race is still razor-thin close? You’re thinking, 'Will there be a recount?'

Maryland does not do automatic recounts. So a petitioner [candidate] must file for one within three days of vote certification. The petitioner must pay for it unless the recount changes the outcome of the election.

This could be possible because this 6th District race is close and will help determine the balance of power in Congress.