Election staff in Tallahassee are recounting more than 40,000 ballots in the City Commission Seat 3 race, where only 14 votes separate candidates Tom Derzypolski and Talethia Edwards as they compete for a spot in the November ru noff.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: Tallahassee Seat 3 recount to determine next step in City Commission raceOver 2,100 blank ballots exist in the race, a number that could prove significant given the narrow margin.Every ballot that has the Seat 3 race on it is being run back through the machines.Clearly marked votes are counted again, while blank, overvoted, or ambiguous ballots are set aside for possible manual review.The canvassing board and election staff spent Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. working through the recount.They are set to resume Sunday, with a state deadline of 3:00 p.m. to produce a second set of unofficial results.If the margin remains within a quarter of a percentage point after that second count, the board will move to a manual recount Monday, reviewing ballots the machines could not clearly count.Community member Kim O'Connor watched the recount process firsthand Saturday. For her, the 14-vote margin underscores why participation matters."We've come too far to abandon our sacred right to vote," O'Connor said.O'Connor said she has one pressing question as the recount continues."You know, is the recount going to change things or not?" O'Connor said.She said the closeness of the race is motivation to keep encouraging others to show up at the polls."Be registered to vote, and then try to keep a network of like 10 of your friends, call 10 of your friends on election day and say, Did you vote?" O'Connor said.The results produced by Sunday's deadline at 3:00 p.m. will determine what comes next in the race.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less