MOUNT VERNON — Provisional ballots from the Nov. 6 election have been certified and counted and overall election results remain unchanged.
One closely watched issue is the health department levy, which passed by 254 votes in preliminary counts following the general election. After provisionals were counted, the issue actually gained 149 votes in its favor and thus passed, 13,901 to 13,502.
Health Commisioner Julie Miller is pleased with the results. “We were tentatively concerned (before the provisional ballots were counted), just because you never know with provisionals,” she said. “We felt they would follow the same pattern as the typical ballot. It turned out to be in our favor, which we can’t say enoough about.”
A total of 788 provisional ballots were submitted this election, which is about the same number as those cast in the 2008 election (758). Knox County Board of Elections director Kim Horn said 686 of those ballots were deemed to be valid. Others, Horn said, were rejected because some individuals provided no identification, failed to fill out the required affirmation statement or voted in the wrong precinct or at the wrong polling location.
“If they need to vote in Mount Vernon 1A and they’re voting in Fredericktown B,” Horn explained, “that’s both the wrong location and the wrong precinct.”
If the person voted in the wrong precinct but at the correct location, his provisional ballot was counted, Horn said.
Contact Pamela Schehl
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