Thomson Wins Boca Raton Mayoral Race by 5 Votes Following Recount

Andy Thomson (left) and the Boca Raton city flag.

Palm Beach County election canvassers completed both a machine recount and manual recount of the results of the Boca Raton mayoral race on Friday, ultimately finding that Andy Thomson had won the contest by a margin of just five votes over his closest opponent, Mike Liebelson.

A six vote margin existed between the candidates after Tuesday night’s election, triggering a mandatory manual recount. The results of the manual recount cut Thomson’s lead to just a single vote, prompting a mandatory manual recount of all ballots. The second recount saw Thomson besting his opponent by five votes, with a final tally of 7,572 votes for him versus 7,567 votes for Liebelson. Fran Nachlas finished a distant third with 3,967 votes, unchanged from the machine recount.

“Every eligible vote matters,” said Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link. “These procedures ensure that the results of our elections are accurate, transparent, and worthy of the public’s trust.”

The canvassers found four “overvotes” following the manual recount and 279 “undervotes,” two words that became household colloquialisms following the 2000 presidential recount in Florida. “Overvotes” occur when more selections are made than allowed in a contest. “Undervotes” occur when no selection is made in that race. These ballots are identified during the machine recount and reviewed during a manual recount.

Both recounts were performed Friday. Candidates, political representatives, and members of the public were permitted to observe the process, which included “strict safeguards to ensure the security of ballots and transparency throughout,” Link said.

While the results are now certified, and Thomson is due to be sworn into office at a reorganizational meeting to be held March 31, 2026, the possibility of litigation exists. Liebelson’s attorney,  sent a letter to Link’s office before the recount, questioning 109 mail-in ballots that were counted after all of the regular voting districts had recorded their returns. Of those ballots, 63 included votes for Thomson and 32 included votes for Liebelson.

After the recount, Liebelson told reporters he was unsure as to whether there would be a legal challenge filed against the results.