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Harvey County certifies USD 373 special bond election after canvass of provisional ballots
Summary
Harvey County canvassed 33 provisional/challenged ballots from the March 3 USD 373 special bond election, accepted 25 in specified categories, and certified final results showing passage; the county election officer reported turnout and handling procedures.
Harvey County election officials presented and the Board of County Commissioners certified the final results of the March 3, 2026 USD 373 (Newton) special bond election after a canvass of provisional and challenged ballots.
Harvey County Clerk and Election Officer Rick Piepho told the commissioners the election had 14,912 registered voters and a turnout of about 23.25%, with 3,467 total ballots cast including provisional ballots. He said, “the total turnout including provisional ballots is 23.25% with 3,467 total ballots cast and a certified count of registered voters in this election of 14,912.” Piepho explained 33 provisional or challenged ballots were presented for review in six groups and staff handled accepted ballots by separating them from envelopes and scanning them into the tabulation system.
The board considered each provisional batch by motion. Don Schroeder moved (seconded by Becky Reimer) to count 18 "in-county move" provisional ballots; the motion passed unanimously. The commission also approved counting three "name change" ballots, one "wrong polling place" ballot and three "mailed advance, not returned, voted at poll" ballots by unanimous votes, and voted not to count seven "not registered" ballots and one "signature deficiency" ballot. Following those steps, Piepho reported the updated totals and said the outcome remained the same. The county record presented to the commission listed final totals of 2,231 Yes votes and 1,228 No votes. The commission voted unanimously to certify those final results.
Why this matters: The canvass is the statutory step that verifies and finalizes election results; local officials also discussed election procedures during the meeting and Commissioner Becky Reimer requested copies of chain-of-custody logs for advance ballots. Piepho noted that returned advance ballots are handled securely and in compliance with state statutes, but he said processes were not strictly aligned with some Election Assistance Commission best-practice guidance, prompting Reimer to urge adopting those best practices for future elections.
The commission's certification completes the county-level canvass; the county clerk also noted the statutory recount window and related procedures available to contesting parties.
