BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — More than 200 votes that went uncounted in the May Primary Election were counted Thursday and yielded no change in who won on election night.
The Morgan County Commission, sitting as a Board of Canvassers, with assistance of the Secretary of State’s Office found human error failed to tally 245 ballots cast in the early voting period. The votes were on the hard drives of two machines along with a paper ballot backup.
The votes from those ballots were read aloud Thursday and tallied. In the closest race, Republican challenger Darren Thorne actually increased his 37-vote victory over House of Delegates member Ruth Rowan to a 41-vote advantage.
The uncounted votes were first noticed by the office of Secretary of State Mac Warner which discovered a discrepancy between the voter history as compared to the number of ballots cast. The two numbers didn’t match up during a review earlier this month.
Because the final results did change, the Secretary of State’s Office through the state Attorney General will ask a local circuit judge to order the county commission to decertify the election results. The commission will then certify the new results.
Since there were no new winners, ballots already printed for the November General Election can stay as they are and will be sent out as scheduled Friday as part as overseas early voting.