Results from November 6th election won't be official until next Wednesday

Additional absentee ballots, provisional ballots and challenged ballots might just change the outcome of two Northeast Iowa legislative elections.

Republican Michael Breitbach and Democrat John Beard are separated by just 43 votes in Senate District 28, while Republican Michael Klimesh and Democrat Roger Thomas are separated by 180 votes in State Assembly District 55.

It's unlikely--but not impossible--that the results in both of those races could change.  That's because election results must be certified by the respective county boards in state legislative districts.  That's normally done within seven days after the election, but since Veterans Day is Monday, county boards have until Wednesday, November 14th to certify the election results.

Here's how the results could change.  Winneshiek County Auditor Ben Steines says his office has 12 absentee ballots that arrived after Tuesday.  The ballots must be postmarked by Monday, November 5th, however, so any ballots with a later postmark will be disqualified.  The county's "Resolution Board" will consider 9 provisional ballots cast on Tuesday but questioned because of identification issues and 12 other ballots that were challenged on Tuesday.  That makes a total of 33 ballots in question--and that's just in Winneshiek County.  State Assembly District 55 also includes townships in Fayette and Clayton counties, while State Senate District 28 includes all of Allamakee and Clayton counties and part of Fayette County.

In Winneshiek County, supervisors will meet at 12:00 noon Tuesday to certify the election results.  Steines says one issue the supervisors won't have to worry about is "Spoiled" ballots.  He says election day went well in Winneshiek County--there were NO equipment problems and NO spoiled ballots.