May 1st referendum margin is now at three votes

A three-person recount board has ruled that two ballots cast in the May 1st municipal electric utility referendum but disallowed by the vote counting computer should be counted as "yes" votes.  The ballots had markings in both the "yes" and "no" circles, but one ballot was marked "yes" and the other ballot had just a stray mark in the "no" circle. 

The action by recount board members Carly Hayden-Foster, Adrian Walter and Mark Albers, who are painstakingly reviewing by hand each and every ballot cast May 1st, means there are now 1,385 "no" votes and 1,382 "yes" votes.  However, County Auditor Ben Steines says there were no other "undervotes" cast.

decorahnews.com will have an update as soon as the recount is completed.