Midterm elections in Iowa did come down to a manual recount between runners for the U.S. House of Representatives amid concerns over voting procedures in crucial states. Following election night, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate declared that Scott County, House District 81, would undergo a hand recount.
The tabulation totals matched in four tabulations of the votes, along with the manual recount of the ballot papers that Thursday and a computerized count the next day, Friday, every ballot was accounted for in a quick and amicable manner.
“Accuracy is the most important factor in elections, and we want to make sure the results are correct before they are certified,” Secretary Pate said then. “The checks and balances we have in place caught the error and I extend my thanks to Scott County for fixing it in a transparent, bipartisan manner. The integrity of Iowa’s elections is once again upheld.”
The Republican Luana Stoltenberg received 5,073 votes, compared to 5,062 for Democrat Craig Cooper, according to the Des Moines Register. This gave her a victory margin of 11 votes. A three-person board certified the victory, according to the publication.
“Thank you so much to everyone in District 81 for the honor of representing you in the Iowa House!” o n Thursday, Stoltenberg made a note on Facebook. “I want to hear what is important to you and how I can serve you these next couple years.”
Cooper gave in to Stoltenberg’s demands and agreed with the outcome of the second recount, but he did express some reservations about it, according to the Des Moines newspaper. Cooper said, according to the newspaper: “A year of campaigning, walking many miles of neighborhoods and meeting residents, can be exhausting and oddly lonely but I don’t regret the experience.”
Cooper stated that he has “grave concerns” about the fact that the second recount, which was carried out by a three-member board chosen by the candidates, differs dramatically from the first recount conducted by the Scott County auditor. Cooper selected Bill Davis, a Democrat, and former Scott County Attorney, to serve on the board. Diane Holst, a former Republican supervisor of Scott County, was chosen by Stoltenberg. Jim Hancock, a former Democratic Scott County Supervisor, was chosen as the third member.
When the original recount was complete on November 18, Cooper had a six-vote advantage. In the auditor’s count, both candidates received more votes: Cooper received 31 more, while Stoltenberg received 14 more.
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
“Thirty-one votes I was given in one count disappeared entirely later and made a difference in the outcome,” he noted on his campaign’s Facebook page.
Scott County Auditor Kerri Tompkins noted that the three-member board conducted a hand and a machine recount of the ballots, noting that the machine recount was “very similar” to an auditor’s recount and that it confirmed the total number of ballots in the race. Although the numbers changed “a little bit,” Tompkins said that the board’s machine recount found that Cooper was the winner. CONTINUE READING…