CUMBERLAND — A ballot recount has been scheduled for this morning at the state Board of Elections in Providence in the Democratic primary for at-large Town Council seats.

The race pits incumbent council President James Higgins against incumbent Bruce A. Lemois, and newcomer James N. McLaughlin. The two highest vote getters will be elected to the council.

McLaughlin, of 15 Garden St., requested the recount yesterday after finishing third in the race and trailing Lemois by just three votes, according to the state Board of Elections.

Under state law, candidates are allowed to request a recounting of the ballots in an election within 24 hours of the polls closing.

The final vote tally, as of yesterday, had Higgins with 3,116 votes or 35.3 percent of the votes cast; Lemois with 2,853 votes or 32.4 percent; and McLaughlin with 2,850 or 32.3 percent. Those numbers include mail ballots.

The town reported 30 provisional ballots, which are ballots that are given to voters on an Election Day provided that their registration status can be verified later, but only one of those ballots was found to be valid and will be included in the final count.

During a recount, only ballots cast on the Election Day are recounted; mail ballots, while included in the final count, are not. There were 108 mail ballots requested from town.

Tomorrow’s recount will be the only scheduled for the day; four other recounts, from elections in North Providence, Pawtucket and Warwick, are scheduled for Monday.

The results of the at-large recount should be available after noontime today on the state Board of Elections Web site at www.elections.ri.gov.

Lemois, of 60 Mohawk St., is seeking his second term in office. McLaughlin is a retired auto mechanic who lost a 2006 bid for an at-large School Committee seat. Higgins, of 25 Rhode Island Ave., is seeking his third term.

Higgins and Lemois were the party’s endorsed candidates.

pmarcelo@projo.com