Oops: Nearly 2,000 Ballots Not Counted In Indiana County

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — An election blunder suddenly has caused a tie in a race for a council seat in a small Indiana town.

The Wayne County clerk says 1,909 ballots from early voting weren’t part of the election night tally. Despite the large number, the mix-up only affected the results in one race in Dublin.

Town council candidates Pamela Chaney and Leonard Payne Sr. are tied at 45. The Richmond Palladium-Item says the council has until Dec. 31 to figure out how to break the tie.

Wayne County’s election software vendor, Harp Enterprises, has taken responsibility. Clerk Debbie Berry says she “felt something was off” when the results showed only 4,000 people had voted in the county, which would have been a historic low.

Races in Richmond and Milton weren’t affected when more votes were properly counted.