(Radio Iowa) – The results from one small precinct in Iowa’s second congressional district have been checked and rechecked after a clerical error in the Jasper County Auditor’s office gave one candidate too many votes. A group of volunteers hand counted a batch of ballots cast on Election Day at a precinct in Mingo and came up with a tally that matched the results of Saturday’s MACHINE recount.

On the SEVENTH round of counting the 516 ballots yesterday (Monday), the group added one extra vote for Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks after determining a voter had colored outside the lines on their ballot — so the vote had not been counted by the machine. Secretary of State Paul Pate says he ordered yesterday’s audit to remove any doubt about the results.

“In this particular situation, you have human error that was caught,” Pate says, “because the system works.” The Secretary of State’s website now shows Rita Hart, the Democratic candidate in Iowa’s second congressional district, has a narrow, 152 vote lead after Monday’s recount along with the absentee ballots from all 24 counties in the district that arrived by the deadline. Hart issued a statement on Twitter, saying the most important thing is to get the count right.

“I want to say thank you so much to our poll workers and to our election officials who have been working on the front lines for months,” Hart said, “making sure that this process runs smoothly and that all ballots are precisely counted.” Early last Wednesday, Miller-Meeks was leading in the preliminary tally posted on the Secretary of State’s website. Her campaign has called on the Jasper County Auditor to provide more information about the clerical error in his office.

Iowa’s second congressional district race is the closest in the country right now. After county boards of supervisors in the district confirm results today (Tuesday), it’s likely one or both campaigns will ask for recounts in other precincts or counties in the district.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Kate Payne)