County doesn't change school levy vote

The results of the Coeur d'Alene School District's March 8 levy election are now official.

The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday canvassed the election and certified results provided by the county elections office.

The commissioners did not re-tabulate the votes, as they were requested to do in a March 10 letter signed by Bill Hemenway, Vice-Chair of the Coeur d'Alene School District Board of Trustees, and Superintendent Hazel Bauman.

"We have correspondence about this. Is anyone here from the school district?" asked Commissioner Todd Tondee during the board's public meeting.

Since no one from District 271 was in attendance, the commissioners accepted and signed into record the results tabulated by the county elections office.

The ballot included two options. The first measure was certified with 64 percent successful passage. The second option was certified at 86 percent.

Each of the options on the $12.9 million levy ballot passed with more than 50 percent of the votes cast.

The school district contends that county poll workers should have counted a no vote on the first option as a no vote by default on the second option. The ballot instructed those who voted no on Option 1 to refrain from voting on Option 2.

The letter to commissioners from school officials asked that the votes be re-tabulated to reflect a lower passage percentage of 55 percent on Option 2.

In the context of election law, canvass refers to the determination of the validity of votes and the official certification of the election results.

Prior to certification, election workers reconcile poll books.

Carrie Phillips, Kootenai County Elections Manager, said her office counts signatures and matches the total with the number of ballots cast. They match the number of ballots sent out to precincts with the total number of spoiled ballots, ballots used for votes and any unused ballots. They make sure the poll books tally out correctly.

This is the first time the county elections office has handled a school election, and also the first time the county commissioners have canvassed a school district vote.

Election consolidation legislation enacted in 2009 became effective Jan. 1. It requires that county elections offices handle all school district elections.

In previous years, school districts in Idaho handled their own levy and trustee elections.

The canvass starts the clock ticking for any recount or contest of the results.

A contest of a bond or levy election, according to Idaho Code 34-2001A, must be filed within 40 days after the votes are canvassed.