More than 300 votes not counted on Election Day in Bannock County
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – A total of 333 votes were not counted in Pocatello during the recent election on November 3.
No outcomes of races were impacted by the error, according to a joint news release from Bannock County and the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office.
“Needless to say, this should not have happened. We take pride in Bannock County in the work that goes into running our elections,” said Bannock County Clerk Jason Dixon. “We are working closely with the Secretary of State’s office to ensure full transparency and to determine if additional steps can be taken to ensure this does not happen. I want Bannock County voters to know your votes will count.”
All of the missing ballots came from the “Pocatello 2” precinct. The mistake was noticed during the canvassing process, and county officials immediately notified the state.
The error was not significant enough to impact any races involving precinct 2.
The contest for District 29 House Seat B race was originally decided by 2,067 votes – representing the most competitive election involving the Pocatello 2 precinct. With the updated ballots, the margin was 2,024 votes.
“Once again, this demonstrates the importance of the reconciliation process we use to verify election results following every election,” said Secretary of State Phil McGrane. “While I am thankful that these ballots were identified, we will be working to determine why these ballots were not processed on election night and working with counties across the state to reinforce our election processes.”
Official vote totals have since been updated on VoteIdaho.gov.
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