Of the 49 outstanding ballots from the Haines Borough’s Oct. 1 election, clerk and election official Julie Cozzi determined 36 could be counted.
The assembly counted the 36 ballots – five absentee-by-mail, 14 absentee-by-fax and 17 questioned – at the election canvass Tuesday.
Cozzi disqualified two absentee-by-mail ballots, 10 absentee-in-person/early voting, questioned and special needs ballots, and one absentee-by-fax ballot.
Reasons included, but were not limited to, the voter was not registered to vote in the Haines Borough, the voter was not currently registered to vote in Alaska, and the voter did not have the return envelope signed by an official or witness.
The canvass did not change any of the standings from the unofficial results: assembly candidates George Campbell and Diana Lapham garnered 17 and nine more votes, respectively, putting their final totals at 583 and 457.
school board candidate Sarah Swinton picked up 18 more votes, while Lisa Schwartz got another 16 – putting final totals for Swinton at 607 and Schwartz at 556, and securing a three-year term for each.
school board candidate Scott Doddridge, who had a four-vote lead over Ardy Miller going into the canvass, increased his lead to nine votes. Doddridge picked up an additional 22 votes, while Miller garnered 17, putting final totals at 517 for Doddridge and 508 for Miller.
Miller submitted a notice of election contest Monday.
Half of the 36 ballots were under-voted in some way: the voter either elected not to mark two assembly members or three school board members.
All 36 cast a vote on Proposition 1, with 25 voting in favor and 11 against.
The election would ordinarily be certified Oct. 22 and newly elected officials would take office soon thereafter, but Miller’s contest of the election will likely delay things, Cozzi said.