The election is not over yet in Larimer County, where two razor-thin races could be affected, depending on the tallying of several hundred ballots this week.
A review of 686 provisional ballots is occurring today, while election clerks continue looking at 179 absentee ballots to check their validity, said Clerk and Recorder Scott Doyle.
The results could alter the decision in two races, including the proposal to extend term limits for most county officials from two four-year terms to three.
The measure – backed by the sheriff and two county commissioners – initially passed by 350 votes.
A race for a seat on the Poudre school board was decided by 330 votes, with Larry Neal defeating Bruce Smith.
District officials decided to postpone Monday’s scheduled swearing-in ceremony for Neal and other board members from Monday until Wednesday night to await the final, official declaration of a winner.
“What all this does to all of the close races, we don’t know yet,” Doyle said.
The term-limits result, he added, “could be overturned or put us in recount country.”
A recount is required if the margin is one-half of 1 percent of the number of votes for the winning side.
Larimer County’s Canvass Board will meet Wednesday to audit and certify the election results for the secretary of state’s office, Doyle said.
The 686 provisional ballots must be confirmed as cast by eligible voters, he said, along with the 179 absentee ballots.
They were originally turned in unsigned or had other problems that hindered clerks from entering them into the final total.
Doyle will meet with the Larimer County commissioners today to explain the workings of the election, including the late turnaround in the term-limits proposal.
As of 10 p.m. on election night, with nearly every voting center reporting, the measure was going down in defeat by a narrow margin. But by about 11:30 p.m., it had gained nearly 1,000 votes to put it over the top, said Larimer County Commissioner Karen Wagner.
“I’ve fielded a lot of questions about (the term limits) and how it turned around overnight,” said Wagner, who opposed the measure.
She said a review of the county’s voting procedures may help clear up any reporting problems that emerged Nov. 1.
Doyle said a simple rush of last-minute voters accounted for the late results that night.
“We got slammed on election night,” including a crush of absentee ballots, Doyle said.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
