Republican Eric Brakey of Auburn was declared the winner of Senate District 20 on Monday following a day-long hand recount of about 18,000 ballots.

Election night results showed Brakey with a 164-ballot win over former Democratic Rep. Bettyann Sheats. Election night totals indicated 9,080 votes for Brakey and 8,916 for Sheats.

The recount totals gave Brakey the win by a 146-vote margin, 9,064 votes to 8,918 for Sheats, Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn announced late Monday afternoon.

The district covers Auburn, New Gloucester, Durham and Poland.

Maine has no state law calling for automatic recounts, so it’s up to candidates to request one within five days of an election. The Senate District 20 recount is one of three happening this cycle out of 186 legislative races.

Sheats, a small business owner who previously served two terms in the House, requested the recount, in which the winning margin was less than 1%.

Brakey is a former two-term state senator who ran for U.S. Senate in 2018, losing to independent Angus King.

Like the ranked-choice vote count last week in the race for the 2nd Congressional District, the recount took place at Maine State Police headquarters in north Augusta. With law enforcement on hand, six tables of volunteers — one Republican, one Democrat and one election official — counted paper ballots one by one throughout the day.

And like last week, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows narrated the count on Facebook Live, describing what was happening periodically throughout the day.

Bellows used the opportunity to emphasize that recounts are open to the public and explain the rules regarding recounts, blank votes and write-ins.

In one instance, a voter filled in a circle near Sheats’ name, but not the oval on the ballot. Attorneys from both sides could not agree on how or whether to count it, so it was set aside as a disputed ballot.

If the race comes down to one vote, Bellows explained, it would be revisited. In another instance, a voter filled in the ovals for both Sheats and Brakey, which is counted as a blank vote.

“That’s considered a vote for no one,” Bellows said to those following along on Facebook.

On Tuesday, the state will conduct recounts in two House races. At 9 a.m., they will double-check the election night totals in Windham-area House District 106, in which Republican Barbara Bagshaw was the apparent election night winner over Democrat Dana Reed, 2,372-2,348.

The third recount will begin following the conclusion of the House District 106 race, estimated to be about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. In House District 88, Democrat Kathleen Shaw was the apparent election night winner over Republican James Sorcek, 2,069-2,006.

Even if the recounts change the outcome of individual races, they will not change the balance of power in the Maine House or Senate. Based on election night results, Democrats control the Senate 22-13 and the House 82-67, with two independents.

All 186 lawmakers elected Nov. 8 will be sworn-in for their new two-year terms on Dec. 7.