Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - Need advice please

To give a quick run down, I am running for the board of directors of the coop I live in. It is a large cooperative with about 1600 shareholders. The vote was for 3 seats, and it is obvious that the first 2 seats there is no question who won the vote.

On the initial count I won by 8, in the recount due to a mistake in the initial count I lost by 1. I was offered a chance for a recount.

The main thing for me was that there was a discrepancy in the election itself. In order to vote at the annual meeting you sign in, your name is matched as a shareholder you are handed a ballot and cast your vote. However the discrepancy was that there was one extra vote.

My current thought is this:

Due to the discrepancy on the floor where there was an additional vote cast higher than the number of people who signed in, it is impossible to verify an exact count of the floor vote. Since that vote potentially could have gone to my opponent (and not myself); if it had been disqualified we could have a tie for the third seat. Since the floor votes are anonymous I do not see how we can ascertain with certainty an accurate count.

My goal with a recount is that hopefully we can establish a clear winner where one of us is separated from the other by more than one vote. If that is not the case, I would request a runoff since that would be the only clear way to produce a clear winner.

The other option then requesting a runoff which would cost money is to lose gracefully but get the winner to promise to support me in the next election.

Obviously what bothers me mentally the most was that I had thought I had won, and the reversal makes it much harder to swallow.

I am wondering for any personal advice, thoughts, legal or any feedback at all.

Thank you

PS I hope this is clear I have had a pretty up and down last 48 hours and my mind is a bit racing at the moment.