Scott County is recounting nearly 22,000 ballots Thursday to decide a closely watched Minnesota House race that could determine the balance of power in the chamber.

DFL Rep. Brad Tabke has a 14-vote lead over Republican Aaron Paul in unofficial results for the District 54A seat, which encompasses the Shakopee area. That margin is within the 0.5% threshold set by state law for an automatic recount in a state legislative race.

The hand recount, for which Scott County received an official request, is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. in rooms 166 and 167 of the Scott County Government Center.

In addition to the recount, which is open to the public, the county will audit one Shakopee precinct after election officials noticed a small difference between the number of absentee ballots marked returned and the number they have counted.

Records show 329 absentee ballots were checked in at Shakopee's 10th Precinct, according to Julie Hanson, Scott County's property and customer service manager. But officials found only 309 ballots after multiple counts, Hanson said last week, adding that it's unclear what happened.

The 54A race has been closely watched since election night. Early returns showed Paul ahead in several precincts by small margins, while Tabke maintained advantages in northeast Shakopee and a precinct north of Shakopee High School.

Tabke is a former Shakopee mayor first elected in 2018 who has served two non-consecutive terms. Paul is a Bloomington police officer who has worked as a school resource officer.

A few days after the Nov. 5 election, Scott County officials rescanned some ballots cast in Shakopee following a scanning machine malfunction. The updated unofficial results increased Tabke's lead by one vote.

Another closely watched legislative contest is playing out in Sherburne County. DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott holds a 191-vote lead over Republican challenger Sue Ek for control of the St. Cloud area's 14B District, unofficial results show.

The county is paying for a recount to quash rumors about how ballots were counted on election night and uploaded to the Minnesota Secretary of State website.

The outcome of the 54A and 14B races will determine control of the House. If the current leaders in both contests prevail, DFLers and Republicans will each hold 67 seats, ushering in a divided chamber not seen since 1979.

If Paul wins the Shakopee-area contest, Republicans would have a slim one-vote majority in the House.

Josie Albertson-Grove and Jenny Berg contributed to this report.