More than three weeks after the Illinois primary elections, the race for the November District 9 Democratic primary ballot for Champaign County Board has been decided.

Challenger Lisa Bell decided against pursuing a court-ordered recount Wednesday, a day after a discovery recount failed to break the tie between Bell and Barbara Wysocki. In a discovery recount, candidates choose 20 percent of the precincts, and the county clerk’s staff recounts those ballots by hand.

After the March 21 primary, voting machines tabulated that each candidate had earned the same number of votes. Wysocki was later named the winner on a coin toss, Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden said.

“Should there be a tie, a random selection method must be chosen, and the coin toss is what the candidates mutually elected to do,” he said.

Bell, and her running partner Bob Kirchner, filed for a discovery recount, which took place Tuesday.

“The hand count of the six precincts selected by Ms. Bell and Mr. Kirchner matched the results from a week ago when we did our final canvas,” Shelden said.

Bell said the discovery recount was only one factor in her decision not to contest the results.

“We had legitimate grounds, but this would have been an ugly, long, intense battle that would have only made people within the county and in both parties angry,” she said. “It is not my desire to further splinter the Democratic party.”

Crossover voters, or Republicans voting in the Democrat primary, became an issue of contention for Bell and Kirchner during the race.

“I am convinced and confident that the majority of Democrats in District 9 did speak through their votes for Kirchner and I,” she said. “About 30 percent of the district’s Republicans crossed over and took the Democratic primary from Democratic candidates.”

Wysocki, who had not been officially told of Bell’s decision before a phone interview, said she trusted the original counts from the optical scan machines.

“I had spoken with the County Clerk prior to the recount, and he told me they certainly did a fair amount of pre-testing,” she said. “He was very confident, and I believed the results for that reason.”

Wysocki said the long process could have some positive effects on the community.

“We had more people say they felt their vote counted and were glad they took the time and effort to go to the polls and cast their vote,” she said.

Bell agreed with her former opponent on that point.

“My 18-year-old daughter voted for the first time this year and will continue to do so for the rest of her life thanks to this election,” she said. “Elections like this speak volumes for our right to vote.”

Bell said she is ready to move on personally and professionally, but she was proud of her performance.

“I am disappointed for all my supporters who did so much, but frankly I am celebratory that as a first-time candidate I tied a six year incumbent,” she said. “Ms. Wysocki did not win by the majority of voters, so I feel this is a moral victory.”

Bell will not officially endorse Wysocki, and her running mate Steve Beckett, in the November election.

“I won’t throw my name behind them, but I will encourage them to listen to the Democratic voters of District 9 and the Democratic party as a whole.”