Elections, Government
Recount in Palo leads to new winner for council seat
Posted on Nov 04, 2009 by Adam Belz.
A recount Wednesday afternoon overturned the results of one Palo City Council election.
Incumbent Al Mengler was the unofficial winner Wednesday morning, with 98 votes to Tom Sanders’ 78. But Sanders’ write-in campaign had been shortchanged by an equipment glitch or an error by precinct officials. Some write-in ballots were mixed in with regular ones and weren’t counted for Sanders.
When the Linn County Auditor’s Office recounted the write-in votes, Sanders received 33 more, bringing his total to 116 (including absentees).
“Tom Sanders is now the unofficial winner,” said Tim Box, deputy elections commissioner.
Both candidates watched the recount and were satisfied, Box said.
The Linn County Auditor’s Office will investigate to find out exactly what happened. Family members of candidates are not allowed to work at the polls, Box said.
Palo will have a new mayor and two new City Council members, after Mayor Jeff Beauregard stepped down to run for and win a council seat, and council member John Harris won the mayoral race.
Incumbent Trent Miller and newcomer Scott “Spider” Packingham also won council seats.
oriolefan
05. Nov, 2009
*"The Linn County Auditor’s Office will investigate to find out exactly what happened. Family members of candidates are not allowed to work at the polls, Box said."*
???
bballmgr
05. Nov, 2009
I remeber this happening Tuesday night. I was out at the Auditor's office and noticed that the Palo results were the last to be reported. I got two different answers from both Auditor Joel Miller and Jeff Beauregard. Miller was telling me that they had to count the ballots by hand at the polling station at the Palo Fire Station and the results would be transmitted once this process was finished. Beauregard told me that they were having problems with the voting equipment transmitting the results to the Auditor's office and that there was a question about some of the ballots. He also said that the poll offiicials were going to hand carry the ballots back to Cedar Rapids. Miller denied everything that Jeff Beauregard told me. It sounds like the Audior's office was trying to pull a CYA, but it sounds like they are in the process of working everything out.