SANDPOINT

Clerk takes ballots with her after bomb threat

Marie Scott and 66 election workers in northern Idaho were forced on Monday to leave a building during a training session, but it didn’t affect Tuesday’s voting, the Bonner County clerk said.

Scott said the 22,000 ballots were never out of sight of election workers, and she received the OK from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office to proceed with the election after reporting what happened.

“The integrity of the ballots was never jeopardized,” Scott said.

Police told the Bonner County Daily Bee that Robin Ann Eby, 45, had called in the bomb threat to avoid her sentencing hearing in a felony drug possession case in the Bonner County building Monday.

Scott said there was no question of leaving the ballots behind.

“If the building did go up, I had an election to conduct today,” she said Tuesday. “Where am I going to get new ballots in 24 hours?”

ADA COUNTY

Mistaken voters the biggest problem

A few dozen voters showing up at the wrong place was the biggest problem, Ada County Chief Deputy Clerk Phil McGrane said Tuesday afternoon. Many voting locations had moved because of redistricting and other adjustments. Voting was brisk but mostly smooth, with longer lines for people needing to register.

A few people called Ada County to complain about poll watchers — people assigned by their party to watch for irregularities — writing down names after voting announcements were made, McGrane said. There were no complaints about long lines.