Etowah election: Waiting for results, with rumblings of contests

Candidates in the four races potentially impacted by an unresolved ballot-style issue seem to be in a holding pattern — waiting for Tuesday's scheduled certification of the election results — to determine how to proceed.

Depending on what happens then, at least two candidates are considering contesting the election results.

It will be up to the Republican and Democratic party leadership to decide whether to certify the results, given the knowledge that some voters received ballots with the wrong House of Representatives race listed.

Related:Primary questions: Officials say redistricting error impacted House, commission races

More:Jeffery Washington wins reelection in Etowah County Commission District 5 race

"We are incredibly upset about the situation, which impacts both our Republican voters and our Republican candidates," Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl said in a statement Thursday.

"Our number one priority is to make sure the will of Republican primary voters is reflected in the outcome of these elections," he said. "We are investigating precisely which areas have been impacted, how many votes may have been affected, and what remedy there is moving forward.

"We will do the best we possibly can in order to find a solution to this terrible situation we're facing," Wahl said.

Some voters moved by redistricting to District 28 went to the polls and received ballots listing the District 29 candidates, Secretary of State John Merrill and Etowah County Probate Judge/Election Manager Scott Hassell said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Hassell said the Etowah County Commission races for District 4 and District 5 also are being reviewed.

Peggy Davis, at the Etowah County Board of Registrars Office, referred any questions to the secretary of state's office.

In his statement, Merrill noted that no one was denied the right to vote.

Etowah County Democratic Party Chairman Charles Abney said as he understands it, anyone who told election officials their ballot had the wrong race or wrong candidates should have received a provisional ballot. Those ballots will be counted Tuesday when parties meet to certify the election results.

However, the mistaken ballots mean voters didn't get the opportunity to vote for a candidate in the district where they reside and may have cast votes for a candidate outside their district.

Carolyn Parker ran for the Democratic nomination for Etowah County Commission District 5. When the votes were counted Tuesday night, she came up 98 votes short of incumbent Commissioner Jeffery Washington's total.

But Parker said she got calls throughout the day about voting irregularities, "from 7:07 a.m. till 7 p.m. People were still calling when I went to bed last night."

From her understanding, it will be up to the party whether to certify the election results.

"If they certify my opponent" as the winner," Parker said, "I'm prepared to contest the election.

Jeff Overstreet, who ran for Etowah County Commission District 4, said his "gut feeling" is that he, too, will contest the election if results are certified.

Incumbent Etowah County Commissioner Tim Ramsey won that race according to Tuesday night's totals, with 277 more votes than Overstreet.

Overstreet said right now, he doesn't know what will happen Tuesday. He said there were enough irregularities in Tuesday's vote to give him pause. He's waiting to see what the state GOP does, but he said a contest is a possibility.

Ramsey said he did not believe the issues the Secretary of State is reviewing now would have a great effect on the District 4 race. Redistricting did make some small changes in the district boundaries, in the area near the interstate, he said.

The changes in Commission District 5's boundaries were more significant, he said.

Washington said he's going to trust the process, that this race is no different than any other. He said any time district lines are redrawn, it's up to the Board of Registrars to work diligently to see that voters are placed in the right district. He said everyone who chose to go vote got to vote, and those who didn't choose to vote had no reason to complain.

"This is nothing new," he said, "this is what's always gone on. I'm going to trust the process, waiting to see if he's still ahead after provisional ballots are reviewed Tuesday.

And if that means he's not the winner in the race, Washington said, he's still going to trust that process. "Why have a process if you're not going to trust it," he said.

Candidates in the House races are waiting to see what happens Tuesday.

District 29 candidates Mark Gidley and Jamie Grant were on hold anyway; with only 82 votes separating leader Gidley from Grant, the two were waiting to see if provisional ballots would make a difference in the outcome even before the wrong ballot questions were raised.

Gidley said he feels confident as that Tuesday certification decision approaches.

Grant said it's "all in a holding pattern" now. He said he believes election officials will work to make things right — to see that voters have the opportunity to vote in the proper districts.

"We've got to make sure we do the right thing," Grant said.

District 28 Rep. Gil Isbell, R-Gadsden, said he heard from Steve Reagan, who qualified to run in the District 29 race but was told he couldn't run because redistricting had placed him in District 28.

When Reagan went to the polls, he got a ballot with the District 29 race listed, not District 28's.

Isbell "let things transpire" through primary day, then got a call Wednesday from Hassell indicating there was an issue with some ballots.

"I'm just trying to figure out what went on," Isbell said while waiting to see what Republican party leaders do Tuesday.

Unofficial results found Mack Butler winning the District 28 race by a 202-vote margin.

Both District 28 candidates initially were prepared to accept those results.

"I am extremely excited and blessed to be going back to Montgomery to represent the people of Etowah County," Butler said Tuesday night. "I look forward to the opportunity to work with all of our leaders in order to help Etowah County reach its great potential."

Isbell spoke of the important project he would continue to work on through the remainder of his term.

Butler did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the later developments in the race.

Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.