Final Delaware ballots to be counted today
Provisional ballots aren't expected to change the outcome of the recorder's race

By RICK YENCER
ryencer@muncie.gannett.com
 MUNCIE Today's count of 14 provisional ballots by the Delaware County Election Board won't impact the outcome of the county recorder's race, where Republican Jane Lasater holds a 25-vote lead.

And the election board is expected to certify a final, official vote tally from the Nov. 7 election after County Clerk Karen Wenger, county election administrator, verifies that all ballots have been counted.

"Based on these votes, there is not going to be any change in the election results," said attorney William Bruns, president of the election board.

On Thursday, Wenger reported 14 of the 41 challenged provisional ballots were eligible for counting after voters cleared up identification or registration problems. Eight more await verification, and the deadline is noon today.

The election board meets at 10:30 a.m. today in the voter registration office of the Delaware County Building to conduct a final count and certify election results. Tuesday is the deadline for a candidate to petition for a recount. Democratic recorder candidate Claudette King has not decided whether to challenge the results.

Wenger and election board workers cleared up problems with possible missing ballots and vote miscounts. An absentee ballot that was thought to be missing was found in the county building's vault where election equipment and vote returns are stored.

And Wenger believed that election workers might have incorrectly written down provisional vote counts Tuesday night in some precincts, which then did not match the actual count on Wednesday.

"These lists were not done scientifically," said Wenger, referring to handwritten lists of precincts and the number of provisional ballots counted in them.

The election board had 1,699 provisional ballots cast because the electronic voting system could not be immediately activated. Voting hours were extended and paper provisional ballots were used besides for voting when the system did not work.

Bruns saw problems with getting the correct startup cards as "human error," for which MicroVote General Corp., accepted full responsibility.

Delaware County was the only Indiana county where MircoVote supplies electronic voting systems and technical help that had significant problems in Tuesday's election. MicroVote does business in 47 counties.

Indianapolis attorney John Price, representing MicroVote, said the company always went out of its way to resolve problems and had a high level of satisfaction from county election officials.

"They always try to do what's right," said Price.

Price had advised MircoVote officials only to count provisional ballots under the orders of the election board or a judge, and that it would be prudent for county officials to obtain a release from all candidates and party chairmen that they would abide by the results of the final tally, including the provisional ballot tally.

"If there is a vote contest, a lot of people could get involved," said Price. "This was meant as a helpful suggestion to resolve problems for all concerned and not just the vendor."

Phil Nichols, Democratic election board member, questioned the intent of Price's advice and asked whether MicroVote was trying to get the county to waive MicroVote's liability in the election fiasco.

"That was not the purpose," Price answered.

Bruns, a Republican board member, said the board would consider whether to seek reimbursement for extra expenses for poll and election workers from MicroVote. He was not interested in recommending Delaware County commissioners terminate MicroVote's contract and find another vendor.

The election board also is filing a complaint with the Indiana Election Division over MicroVote's failure to supply the correct startup cards.

Discussion of more checks and balances and whether county election officials should program and tabulate vote results also might be discussed. The Republican-controlled county commissioners bought the election system and pay MicroVote to program the machines and tabulate the results.