Canvass gets under way
By PAMELA BRUST, pbrust@newsandsentinel.com
POSTED: May 17, 2008
PARKERSBURG — Wood County commissioners convened briefly Friday as the Board of Canvass to select four precincts to be hand counted, then adjourned until 9 a.m. Monday when they will begin review of the provisional ballots from the primary.
There were about 370 provisional or challenged ballots from the election.
“Teams made up of equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans conduct the hand count. The purpose is to verify the computer tallies match manual ones to make sure the computer software was working properly. We are allowed a 1 percent difference for human error,” Wood County Clerk Jamie Six said.
The four precincts drawn randomly for the hand count are 1, 32, 37 and 56A.
Six said one voter asked to testify before the board Monday afternoon.
The voter, who is registered nonpartisan, voted a nonpartisan ballot, but afterward contacted the clerk’s office, saying he was not offered a partisan ballot and he wanted to vote again. Six told him to return to his precinct if he wanted to do so, but the second ballot would be challenged. It will be one of those ruled on by the board.
This was the first election where nonpartisan voters could request a Republican or Democrat ballot in the primary. Pollworkers are prohibited by election law from suggesting or asking nonpartisans if they want to vote a partisan ballot, the voter must request one.
Commissioners, acting as the board of canvass, will rule on each provisional ballot, deciding whether it will be counted by overruling the challenge or not counted if the challenge is sustained.
Usually the outcome of races is not affected by a canvass. But Tuesday there was a three-vote difference between the third-place finishers for the 10th District House of Delegates on the Democratic side. Candidates Iris McCrady finished the primary with 3,280 votes compared to Timothy Fittro’s 3,277. There are three candidates nominated to go into the general election.
Once the final numbers are computed, the board can declare the results, which kicks off a 48-hour period when any candidate can request a recount. If no recount is requested, the board certifies the results.
Six anticipates the canvass will take two days.
