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Hurricane board of canvassers certifies primary results, citing ballot curing and undeliverable returns
Summary
Hurricane City officials acting as the board of canvassers certified primary election results after county staff reported vote totals, turnout and reasons some ballots were not counted; the certification passed unanimously.
Hurricane’s board of canvassers certified the city’s primary election results after county elections staff reviewed vote totals and explained reasons some ballots were not counted.
County elections staff reported 13,113 active registered voters and 4,814 ballots counted in the primary, a 36.71% turnout. Of 5,078 returned ballots, 394 were not counted: 65 could not be “cured” (the voter did not respond to a county request to correct a signature or other defect), 19 arrived after the 8:00 p.m. deadline on election day, and 310 were returned as undeliverable. The office also reported six provisional ballots and a small number of in-person early votes in Hurricane and at the Dixie Convention Center.
The board — meeting as the canvassing body rather than a regular council session — approved a motion to certify the results as presented. Councilman Preet made the motion, Councilwoman Ellerman seconded, and Mayor Danette Billings voted “yes,” with the motion carried unanimously.
County staff read candidate totals for the mayoral contest as part of the canvass. Clark Fawcett received 1,819 votes and Mayor Danette Billings received 1,634 votes; Michael Hershey was reported with 1,703 votes, Lynn Exel with 1,482, and Kevin Thomas with 1,307. County staff said the leading totals changed between election night and later counts because the elections office must allow time to “cure” ballots — contacting voters whose ballots had signature or other issues — and to gather and reconcile returns from different drop-off locations and precincts.
Ryan Sullivan, identified in the meeting as the county auditor, and his staff were cited in conversation about the post-election changes. Council members asked whether early in-person voting could be consolidated at fewer locations to reduce cost; county staff said early voting locations and poll workers are managed by the county and that the city would need to consult the county about any change.
Before adjourning, council members signed the canvass paperwork and Mayor Billings asked staff to deliver a copy of the canvass results to her desk.
The board then moved to adjourn.
