County officials certify election results

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County election officials finished counting ballots Friday and certified the results of the Nov. 4 general election with no changes in election day outcomes.

The Election Commission reported the county had 21 absentee ballots from overseas voters not returned in time to be counted. The commission also reviewed 51 provisional ballots after election day and decided 37 would be counted and 14 not counted. The ballots that weren't counted had a variety of problems ranging from questionable signatures to incorrect addresses to one ballot cast by a convicted felon.

The commission also discussed the outcome of two election complaints referred to the County Clerk and Prosecuting Attorney's Office, as required by law.

John Brown Jr., commission chairman, said Springtown Mayor Paul Lemke had challenged two absentee ballots in his race, claiming the voters didn't live in the city.

"The prosecuting attorney says they are legitimate voters even though they are in California," Brown said. "Since the prosecuting attorney says they are legitimate voters, we will accept them."

With those two votes included, the final official tally of votes in the Springtown mayoral contest shows Preston Barrett winning with 22 votes (63 percent) to 13 votes (37 percent) for Lemke.

The other complaint resolved by the prosecutor was in the Cave Springs mayoral contest, Brown said.

"Robert Ryan, a resident of Cave Springs, objected to Travis Lee, who is running for mayor, saying he isn't a resident of Cave Springs,' Brown said. "The prosecuting attorney says Mr. Lee is a resident of Cave Springs in the meaning of the law, therefore his votes will be counted."

Lee faces Randall Noblett in the Nov. 25 runoff election. In the Nov. 4 voting, Lee garnered 451 votes (48 percent) to Noblett's 359 votes (38 percent). Mark Reeves finished third with 139 votes (15 percent).

The commission received a number of other complaints, none of which were directed at a specific contest, Brown said.

"We had a number of people saying they didn't get notification about their precinct being changed," he said. "The County Clerk's Office says they were all sent cards, some of them more than one. We also had some complaints about we don't have enough voting machines. I, for one, am not going to spend $2,400 for a refurbished machine when in two years they're at the end of their useful life and are probably going to be replaced. Then what do we do with them?"

"I think they'd make beautiful boat anchors," said Robbyn Tumey, commissioner.

General News on 11/19/2014