A West Virginia county’s officials say 57 uncounted ballots have been found from the 2018 general election, all from one voting machine, so they’re preparing to ask a judge for permission to include them.
Marion County Administrator Kris Cinalli tells The Exponent Telegram officials spent most of Tuesday confirming the lost votes are isolated. They were discovered when county clerk’s office workers were compiling voter information for the secretary of state’s office last week.
The ballots would affect two Fairmont City Council races that coincidentally had tie-breakers determining the outcomes.
County attorney Chuck Shields says a circuit court judge needs to allow that the races be decertified so the ballots can be counted.
Officials aren’t sure what exactly caused the discrepancy. Cinalli says it’s likely a combination of a machine glitch and human error.