CARRINGTON, N.D. - The results of the June 10 election in Foster County will stand after the question of what appeared to be 300 missing ballots was resolved.
A recount last week showed 300 fewer ballots cast than what had been reported to the secretary of state’s office. County Auditor Teresa Risovi said the discrepancy was attributed to 100 test ballots that had been run through the three voting machines prior to the election, as required by law. Risovi said the machines had a display that showed the test ballots had been zeroed out, but they remained on the machines’ memory cards.
In an email, Secretary of State Al Jaeger confirms Risovi’s explanation.
“Because the count is off by exactly 300, we think it is related to the test run that was made prior to the election,” Jaeger said.
The recount was demanded by Foster County Commission candidate Donnie Theis. In the election, six candidates ran for four spots on the November ballot. The top four vote-getters in the primary would compete for two commission seats in the general election. Theis had finished fifth behind current Commission Chairman Paul Straley by 15 votes.
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The recount confirmed the initial results.
