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Cherokee County election officials certify Public Service Commission special primary results
Summary
Cherokee County election officials certified the results of the Republican and Democratic special primaries for the Public Service Commission race held June 17, 2025, voting unanimously to approve the certifications at a short meeting.
Cherokee County election officials certified the results of the Republican and Democratic special primaries for the Public Service Commission race held June 17, 2025, voting unanimously to approve the certifications at a short meeting on an agenda that also included routine business.
The certification followed a random hand count of paper ballots intended to confirm the accuracy of the electronic counts. John, an elections staff member who spoke during the meeting, said the team counted 443 paper ballots from randomly selected precincts and compared those counts to the machine totals. “We proved that the QR code and electronic machines didn't steal your ballot,” John said, adding that the paper counts matched the machine tallies for both parties.
County officials described the hand count as a sample (about 10% of ballots in the selected precincts) and reported a statistical confidence figure during discussion. “If you randomly select that percentage, then you can specify that 99.6% of the ballots you didn't count would fall into that same category of being correct,” John said. That explanation was provided as context for why the sample comparison supports certification.
A motion to certify the Republican special primary — covering Election Day returns from June 17 and early voting prior to that date — passed by voice vote. A subsequent motion similarly certified the Democratic special primary for the same dates; both certifications were announced as carried unanimously. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote or a numeric tally.
Officials also announced a risk-limiting audit (RLA) scheduled for Thursday at 9:00 a.m. at the Cherokee County Elections Office, 193 Lamar Haley Parkway, and said observers are welcome. The meeting concluded after the certifications and the announcement.
Details recorded in the meeting transcript show the board approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session, heard the staff summary of the hand count, certified both party special primaries, announced the RLA, and then adjourned. The transcript does not list additional motions, numeric vote counts, or names of board members beyond the two speakers identified in the record.
