Ballot mix-up repaired

The Daily Inter Lake

Unopposed, but still unelected.

That was almost County Attorney Ed Corrigan's fate this election season.

Corrigan, who is seeking his second term in office, is unopposed for Tuesday's primary election.

However, because of a mix-up with the printer and with the county Election Department, his name was inadvertently left off the ballot.

Corrigan discovered the error and informed the Election Department.

Election Supervisor Monica Eisenzimer said the correct information was sent to the printer, but the Nebraska-based firm failed to put Corrigan's name on the ballot and her office failed to notice the error.

She said the new, corrected Republican ballots should arrive soon.

She didn't think the error would cost the county more money, given that the printer was partly at fault. The mix-up also won't affect any absentee votes that have been cast, because Corrigan is unopposed.

Despite the glitch, Eisenzimer expects voting to run smoothly Tuesday.

When voters arrive at their precincts, she said, they'll receive two paper ballots - one listing the Democratic candidates and one with the Republicans. Voters will decide which ballot to cast; the other will be discarded.

The voted ballots will be collected and scanned throughout the day. Each precinct will have its own electronic tabulator. After the polling stations close, the tabulators will be brought back to the Election Department and the results compiled.

"We expect to have the final results by 10 p.m.," Eisenzimer said.