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Scott County Recounts Absentees

preparing to recount some of the absentee ballots
WVIK News
preparing to recount some of the absentee ballots

Under the watchful eyes of members of both political parties, and a deputy sheriff, some ballots from last week's election in Scott County were recounted Tuesday.

Scott County Auditor Kerri Tompkins explaining the recount process
WVIK News
Scott County Auditor Kerri Tompkins explaining the recount process

The recount was for more than 23,000 absentee ballots, including mailed in ballots, ballots cast at satellite locations, collected in drop boxes, from health care centers, and those cast overseas.

ten boxes with 23,000 ballots to be recounted
WVIK News
ten boxes with 23,000 ballots to be recounted

County Auditor Kerri Tompkins says after election day her staff found a discrepancy in the numbers, adding up to 470 or 2 per cent of those 23,000 ballots.

"It certainly could be human error from running the room. I also know the machines jammed quite a bit which is why we have somebody here."

So she and her staff spent several hours running them through the machines again.

"I hope the voters in Scott County can rest assured that I'm willing to take that and to know there's something here that I question and therefore I want to run through it again. That's the integrity of making sure that it's done correctly, and that's my job."

Next she'll consult with the Secretary of State's office, and hopes to have final results to report on Wednesday.

She doesn't know if the recount will change the results of any races.

A native of Detroit, Herb Trix began his radio career as a country-western disc jockey in Roswell, New Mexico (“KRSY, your superkicker in the Pecos Valley”), in 1978. After a stint at an oldies station in Topeka, Kansas (imagine getting paid to play “Louie Louie” and “Great Balls of Fire”), he wormed his way into news, first in Topeka, and then in Freeport Illinois.