Two incumbent Republican legislators who lost their respective races in close votes Nov. 4 have requested recounts, said Don Cookson of the Secretary of State’s office Wednesday.

In Senate District 15, which includes Auburn, Durham, Poland and New Gloucester, Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello, R-Poland, requested the recount in her race against Rep. Deborah Simpson, D-Auburn. Simpson is ahead 10,019-9,917 in the unofficial tally.

In House District 105, which encompasses New Gloucester, Durham and part of Lisbon, Rep. Michael Vaughan, R-Durham, has asked for a recount in his race against Democrat David Van Wie of New Gloucester. Van Wie leads that unofficial total 2,797-2,712.

Those are two of the five races that were set to begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, according to Cookson, the communications director for the Office of the Secretary of State. Candidates had until Wednesday at 5 p.m. to request a recount.

“It was so close, that is why I felt we should have a recount,” Snowe-Mello said Wednesday. Still, she said, it is unlikely the recount will change the outcome. “I don’t expect much of it. The machines are fairly accurate.”

Simpson, who now serves House District 69, covering a portion of Auburn, did not expect the recount to find any discrepancies as well.

“I understand why my opponent did it,” she said. “But I think the city clerks do a great job. They are professionals. They work hard.”

While Snowe-Mello did not take issue with the vote itself, she did find fault with the voter registration lists she was given in Auburn. On many occasions, she said, the house numbers on the list did not match the actually house numbers, a problem that she said was repeated in the district canvassed by Vaughan during his campaign.

“To me, that’s fraud right there,” said Snowe-Mello. “Even if I don’t win I am going to start looking into it.

Also requesting recounts in state Senate races were Richard Burns of Berwick, the Democratic candidate in Senate District 2, who unofficial results show trailing incumbent Sen. Richard Nass, R-Acton, 10,707-10,322.

Incumbent Sen. Paula Benoit, R-Phippsburg, also requested a recount in her race against Democratic challenger Seth Goodall of Richmond for Senate District 19. Unofficial preliminary results indicate Goodall prevailed, 11,158 to 11,0411.

If the margin of victory is within 2 percent, the trailing candidate can request a recount without any financial obligations. If the race is wider than 2 percent, a monetary deposit is required of the candidate who is behind in the race.

Rep. Deborah L. SimpsonSen. Lois Snowe-MelloDavid Van WieRep. Michael Vaughn