AUBURN – Ward 3 City Councilor Joe DeFilipp has asked to inspect the ballots and will possibly seek a recount of Tuesday’s results.

Both DeFilipp and challenger Eric Samson will get the opportunity to inspect the Nov. 2 election ballots at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Auburn Hall.

“The purpose of the inspection is to give the candidates the opportunity to look at the ballots and count them, if they wish,” said City Clerk Mary Lou Magno. “If they have reason to suspect an error, then they can call for a recount.”

Samson bested DeFilipp in Tuesday’s polls by 61 votes. Samson got 1,076 votes to DeFilipp’s 1,015.

“I’m not surprised,” Samson said. “The vote was so close, I was expecting some sort of a recount.”

DeFilipp said the narrow margin convinced him to ask for the inspection.

“But I had several supporters suggest we do this, too,” DeFillip said. “We’re not hearing about any impropriety or anything. It’s just that with so few votes and such close results, anything can happen. And my supporters are concerned for the city and the direction of the new council, so they urged me to try.”

Magno said the city last had a ballot inspection four years ago. Ward 5 Councilor Belinda Gerry defeated Preston Chapman by 25 votes for that City Council seat. The inspection didn’t change the results, she said.

The city uses a four-year-old Accu-Vote system. Voters are required to fill in oval bubbles next to candidates’ names.