Johnathan Walker|Montana county recounts primary election ballots after some double-counted, same candidates advance

2025-05-06 01:15:07source:Maverick Prestoncategory:Stocks

BUTTE,Johnathan Walker Mont. (AP) — A southwestern Montana county recounted its primary ballots Tuesday, but the results did not change the candidates who advance to the general election in nonpartisan races for a state judgeship and the city-county chief executive.

A judge ordered a recount last week after election officials acknowledged that about 1,000 ballots appeared to have been counted twice. The recount showed an overcount of 1,143 ballots out of 10,934 cast — just over 10%.

A member of the public had questioned the number of votes tallied in the June 4 primary, The Montana Standard reported.

Linda Sajor-Joyce, the county’s election chief, said she believed somebody accidentally took ballots that had come out of a tabulator and put them in the wrong spot, causing them to be counted again. Something similar had happened in the past, Sajor-Joyce told the Standard last week.

Sajor-Joyce said she also noticed the voting numbers might be off during a post-election audit, but thought the numbers were still acceptable.

“I knew I wanted to take a harder look at it,” she said, but it was difficult to make the time because county election offices also had to verify signatures for three constitutional initiatives — a task that took longer because the issue of counting the signatures of inactive voters ended up in court.

Republican Jason Ellsworth, president of the Montana Senate, said he was appointing a select committee to investigate the incident and determine if any changes in law need to be made to ensure something similar doesn’t happen again.

More:Stocks

Recommend

Taylor Swift Cancels Austria Concerts After Confirmation of Planned Terrorist Attack

Taylor Swift’s upcoming concerts in Austria were the target of an alleged terror plot.Authorities in

'The Voice': Team Legend and Team Reba lead with 4 singers in Top 5, including Instant Save winner

The Queen of Country and the Four-Chair King are bringing their majesties to “The Voice” finale.The

Lego set inspired by 'The Lord of the Rings' fortress to debut in June: See the $459.99 set

Fans of "The Lord of the Rings" film series will be able to build their own Barad-dûr fortress usin