[dropcap]J[/dropcap]UNEAU, AK- The bi-partisan State Review Board and State of Alaska Division of Elections have certified the 2018 General Election. This includes certification of the House District 1 race as a tie between candidates Kathryn Dodge and Barton LeBon, following a thorough review.

The State Review Board has inspected and hand counted every ballot from the district, with the exception of one ballot which is currently being investigated further to determine whether or not it will be counted. The ballot was included with questioned ballot materials, but there was no questioned ballot envelope to account for the ballot. The State Review Board members tasked with reviewing the ballots from House District 1 found that the ballot appears to be a marked ballot for candidate Dodge, but no determination will be made until the division has all of the necessary information about the ballot’s origin.

“As election officials, it is our job to ensure that we have all of the facts before moving forward with a conclusion and that every vote is counted accurately,” said State Elections Director Josie Bahnke. “In certifying House District 1 as a tie, an automatic recount will be conducted on Friday morning. This allows the division more time to investigate the ballot in question before making a determination on whether or not it should count.”

The ballot has not been included in Monday’s results, but could still be counted during the recount depending on investigation findings. Election officials met with the candidates and all members of the State Review Board Monday morning to discuss certification and the next steps moving forward.

If the results of the recount re-confirm the tie, the prevailing candidate will be determined by lot under AS15.15.460 and AS 15.20.530.

The recount for House District 1 will take place in the director’s office in Juneau on Friday, November 30 at 10 a.m. Any additional absentee ballots received between now and completion of the recount will be counted as required by state law AS 15.20.480.

Official results are now available on the Division of Elections website.

Source: State of Alaska

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