Latah County is preparing to conduct a full recount of its election results after the clerk’s office failed to release the results of more than 2,300 votes last week.
Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane’s office said in a statement that an initial review showed no results would change due to the failure to count votes.
But the number of votes in question could potentially change the outcome of several races, including the three state legislative seats and two county commission seats that were up for grabs.
Tom Lamar, the lone Democrat on the county commission, said in a telephone interview that the county clerk’s office on Friday discovered a thumb drive containing 2,342 votes that had not been counted.
Lamar said he was informed of the situation by Latah County Clerk Julie Fry on Sunday afternoon.
He said the recount is expected to take place Tuesday, delaying the county’s certification of the election results until Thursday afternoon.
“I hope this is the only stick that’s missing (and) there’s nothing else. Hopefully all the votes are now counted,” Lamar said Monday.
In a phone interview Monday afternoon, McGrane said Fry contacted him Sunday about the error, but stressed that the hard drive was not missing and had been securely stored with other election materials since last week.
“At no point was anything missing and it really appears to be human error in the process,” he said.
Fry, who oversees elections, could also lose her elected position with 1,289 votes separating her from her opponent. Lamar said Fry did not participate in the vote count herself because of her re-election bid.
A formal complaint filed Monday morning by Laura Heinse, a Democratic candidate for county commissioner, asked the Idaho Secretary of State’s office to force a full recount of her own race.
“This raises serious questions about the county’s election night reconciliation procedures, the reliability of the reported results, and whether additional discrepancies exist in the reporting,” Heinse wrote.
It was not immediately clear in which precinct those votes were cast.
Moscow, the county seat, is a reliably Democratic stronghold in the state, while the rest of the outlying, largely agricultural areas are more conservative.
Depending on where the excluded votes came from, a $65.6 million industrial facilities tax aimed at transforming Moscow Middle School into a high school and renovating other buildings in the district could also be in jeopardy.
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Unofficial results show the measure passed with 62% of the vote, although the levy needed at least 60% approval to take effect.
“The residents of Latah County deserve accurate election results, impartial administration, timely disclosure of errors, and a transparent process that restores public trust,” Heinse wrote in his complaint.
Lamar said Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane’s office is coordinating with county officials to help with the recount.
A spokesperson for McGrane’s office confirmed they were working together on the matter and would release more details Monday afternoon.
Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea supported the recount in a statement, saying it was “outrageous” that Heinse had to seek state help in the matter.
“The apparent omission of the results of more than 2,300 ballots from Latah County’s election totals is an unacceptable failure that demands immediate responses,” Necochea said.
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