Clerk changes election vote totals

By MATTHEW VAN DUSEN
Star-Tribune staff writer
August 21, 2004

The Natrona County clerk has changed Tuesday's primary election totals in several municipal races after noticing a glitch in new vote-counting software.

The error changes the order in which some candidates finished, but does not affect which candidates will advance to the general election. Only one candidate lost votes but five of the 10 municipal races in the county had changed totals.

Clerk Mary Ann Collins said she noticed on Thursday that the number of votes candidates in Evansville received seemed low. She checked the printout from the voting machine and the absentee ballots against the vote-computing software, called Unity, and saw the numbers were different for the Evansville races.

Collins determined the software problem only affected nonpartisan races after checking the voting machine printouts and the absentee votes against the Unity software report in several partisan races. There does not appear to be any pattern in the skewed vote totals.

On Friday, officials were sending voting machine memory packs and memory pack readers to Omaha, Neb.-based Election Systems and Software, the company that designed and maintains Unity. The program is new and cost $70,000. She has told the company she wants on-site technical support during the general election Nov. 2.

"I'm not going to go into the general election and not be comfortable," Collins said.

The county Canvassing Board was satisfied with the revised election results and certified them.

The overall voter turnout numbers were not affected by the glitch.

In Casper's Ward III, incumbent Councilwoman Mildred Lamb picked up 279 votes and Page Fagan lost 38, reversing the order in which they finished. All three candidates in Ward III, including top vote-getter Frances Harris, advanced to the general election.

In Ward I, third-place finisher Cordell Wistisen picked up 267 votes, incumbent mayor Barb Watters picked up 152 votes, and Maury Daubin picked up seven votes. Watters narrowed the margin with Daubin to 63 votes.

In the Evansville Town Council primary, Doug Wagner picked up 167 votes, but both he and James Wagner, who gained two votes, will win the two open seats in the general election.

Revised vote totals in five Natrona County municipal races

Casper City Council Ward I

Vote total Tuesday Revised total Difference

Frances R. Harris 1,445 1,463 18

Mildred J. Lamb 1.062 1,341 279

Page Fagan 1,268 1,230 (38)

Write-in 121 121 0

Casper City Council Ward III

Maury Daubin 1,592 1,599 7

Barb Watters 1,384 1,536 152

Cordell Wistisen 559 826 267

Write-in 12 12 0

Evansville Mayor

Bonnie Humphrey 80 164 84

Write-in 12 12 0

Evansville Town Council (two year)

Velma Jackson 37 172 135

Write-in 5 5 0

Evansville Town Council (four year)

Doug White 32 199 167

James Wagner 195 197 2

Write-in 3 3 0

Reporter Matthew Van Dusen can be reached at (307) 266-0619 or matthew.vandusen@casperstartribune.net.