Elmore County election winners unchanged after left-out ballots counted
Elmore County election results remained unchanged following a recount, officials announced.
The Secretary of State’s Office led the recount on Monday after it was discovered that hundreds of Elmore County ballots were not counted on election night.
Elmore County Clerk Shelley Essl notified the state on Nov. 14 that she found a discrepancy between the number of ballots cast and the number counted in the Nov. 4 election, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane told the Idaho Statesman.
McGrane told the Statesman that all ballots were in Elmore County’s possession, but some simply did not get tallied. On Monday, McGrane and a team of 17 election officials from his office led the recount, which was done by hand.
Elmore County counted an additional 373 ballots, going from 2,820 on election night to 3,193. But the final count did not alter the outcome of any race, officials said.
Elmore County recorded 3,203 people who signed for ballots on Election Day, meaning 10 votes were still unaccounted for in the recount.
“There is still a difference of 10 total, but that is considerably better than where we started today,” McGrane told Idaho Education News at the recount in Mountain Home.
The hand count was observed by officials from the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, the Elmore County Prosecuting Attorney, and the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, as well as candidates, members of the media and public who chose to join.
“In order for our elections to work, voters must have confidence that their votes will count,” McGrane said in a statement Monday. “Today we demonstrated our commitment to ensuring just that.”
Idaho officials seek cause of Elmore County mistake
McGrane told the Statesman that there was “no sign of foul play,” and his staff was still working to determine what caused the discrepancy. He and his election team returned to Mountain Home on Tuesday to continue investigating, he said.
There were 10 days between Election Day and when Elmore County reported the problem. McGrane told the Statesman that felt “late in the process,” and planned to look into why it wasn’t caught sooner.
McGrane said he hoped this could be a “learning opportunity” for Elmore County and all Idaho counties.
“We’re evaluating every element of this process to determine what happened here, and why did it happen, and how can we prevent it,” McGrane said.
The hand count results will be made official and certified by the Elmore County Board of Commissioners at a 9 a.m. meeting on Wednesday.
The Secretary of State and Elmore County clerk’s offices will seek judicial review of the hand count before the Dec. 2 deadline to comply with Idaho law. That review will ensure “the process and results receive appropriate legal scrutiny and, if deemed necessary, provides an avenue to call for a new election,” the Secretary of State’s Office said.
Elmore County updated election results
Glenns Ferry Mayor
Susan Case: 206
Chelsea Inmon: 70
Glenns Ferry City Council (vote for two)
Jordan C. Thomas: 167
David Payne: 149
Kurtis Workman: 91
Dean Cunningham: 85
Mountain Home City Council (vote for two)
Decker Sanders: 872
Brendan McCarthy: 857
Richard Urquidi: 762
Sawyer Crenshaw: 663
Stephen “Stevo” Nameth: 370
Kellee Thomas: 192
Glenns Ferry School District Trustee Zone 1
Robert Bergh: 42
Alan Crane: 36
Lane Smith: 15
Glenns Ferry School District Trustee Zone 5
Mickie J. Strode: 100
Mountain Home School District Supplemental Levy (requires 50% approval)
In favor: 1,398
Against: 1,339
Bruneau-Grand View School District Trustee Zone 3
Jeremy Pineda: 7
Raelynn Mathews: 4
Bruneau-Grand View School District School Closure
In favor: 17
Against: 12
Atlanta Fire District Commissioner Subdistrict 2
Patricia Kathy Howard: 18
Mary E. Drake: 16
