The Jefferson County Courthouse.
Another Iowa mayor’s race that was tied went to a blind draw Thursday.
The canvass of the runoff election for the Fairfield mayor’s seat between candidates Michael Halley and Connie Boyer Thursday ended at the Jefferson County Courthouse with one absentee ballot being added and putting the two in a tie at 1,048 votes each.
The additional vote found in the canvass was for Boyer — and her name was then pulled from a container by Board of Supervisors Chair Lee Dimmitt as the winner.
Boyer talked about the whole thing after Halley said he is seeking a recount. “It’s pretty strange in some ways. I don’t know what to say I’m kind of glad its — well it might be over — we might have a few more days yet depending on the recount,” Boyer says. At this point I just felt like it’s out of my hands it’s out my hands and whatever happens will happen and we’ll go from there”
Halley says he asked for a recount and assumed Boyer would have done the same if her name hadn’t been pulled from the bucket.
“There were four ballots cast on Tuesday that the machine did not read either way. And by doing a hand count we will discover is there is intention there that the machine couldn’t register that a human being could,” Halley explains.
He says it is important to have those other ballots checked out. “Either way it goes — I think it is best for Fairfield voters to see a clear winner by vote — rather than by chance,” according to Halley. “We’ll see what happens. We should know by Monday the 16th.”
The recount must be done by Monday December 16th at the lastest. Each candidate will pick a representative and agree on a third to be on the recount board. The representatives are expected to agree on the third party sometime this coming Monday.
The Mayor’s race in the Waterloo suburb of Elk Run Heights was decided by drawing name out of a box on November 12th after the canvass of the Election Day vote ended in a tie.
(By Garry Coffey, KMCD, Fairfield)