Glitch sends Pulaski election workers into frenzy late into evening

Local News

November 7, 2012

Glitch sends Pulaski election workers into frenzy late into evening

by Bill Mardis Commonwealth Journal The Commonwealth Journal Wed Nov 07, 2012, 01:07 AM EST

Somerset —

Some 26,000 Pulaski Countians, excited by a frenzied presidential contest and municipal and school board races, went to the polls yesterday.

However, a computer glitch ballooned totals on the monitor in the clerk’s office that showed results from yesterday’s balloting and delayed release of elections results. Computer discs from the precincts printed the correct totals that were released by the Pulaski County Board of Elections at about 11 p.m. last night.

“These totals (released at 11 p.m.) will be certified to the State Board of Elections tomorrow,” Rick Barker, veteran member of the election board, told the Commonwealth Journal.

Barker and County Clerk Ralph Troxtell both assured that the glitch did not affect winners and losers in any race. With paper ballots, every contest has a paper trail so the integrity of the election is not in question.

As expected, Republican Mitt Romney was the favorite here with 20,584 votes. President Barack Obama, who at presstime apparently has won a second term in the White House, picked up only 4,934 votes in Pulaski County.

Green Party candidate Jill Stein got 51 votes; Independent candidate Randall A. Terry polled 93 votes; and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson was the favorite of 168 Pulaski Countians. The late results did not list any votes for the 11 write-in candidates for president.

Hal Rogers, R-Somerset, swamped Democrat Kenneth S. Stepp of Manchester in Pulaski County voting. Rogers polled 20,880 votes; Stepp got 4,274. Results from the 31-county 5th Congressional District were not available at presstime, but Rogers was a heavy favorite to win a 17th term in Congress.

Chris Girdler, unopposed to succeed retiring Vernie McGaha as state senator from the 15th Senatorial District, got 21,027 complimentary votes in Pulaski County.

Five northern Pulaski County precincts in the 24th House District favored Republican M.J. “Bill” Pickerill over incumbent Democrat Terry Mills. Pickerill got 1,381 votes and Mills picked up 678. No results were available from Casey and Marion counties. Both Pickerill and Mills live in Lebanon.

Sara Beth Gregory, in the 52nd House District; David Meade who succeeds Danny Ford in the 80th House District; Jeff Hoover in the 83 House District; and Tommy Turner in the 85th House District, all were unopposed for reelection. Gregory got 1,521 votes in Pulaski County; Meade picked up 809; Hoover polled 5,972; and Turner collected 10,826, all complimentary votes.

Eddie F. Montgomery, unopposed for reelection as commonwealth’s attorney in the 28th Judicial District, got 21,209 complimentary votes, and George Flynn, also unopposed, received 21,601 complimentary votes for another term as Pulaski circuit clerk.

In small city elections, following are apparent winners:

FERGUSON CITY COUNCIL

Linda Hughes

Anthony W. “Tony” DePrato

Malissa Pitman Thacker

Pammela Sue Cordell

John Westberry

Sandy Pitman

SCIENCE HILL CITY COMMISSION

Terry Wesley

Jeffrey W. Wesley

Mike Hall

David Phelps

BURNSIDE CITY COUNCIL

Bill Leslie

Lula Jean Thompson-Burton

Dwayne Sellers

Willis H. Eadens

Susi Brooks Lawson

Joyce M. Gregory

EUBANK CITY COMMISSION

Winners were not announced from Eubank because vote totals are close and information from the Lincoln County precinct in Eubank was not available at presstime.

SCIENCE HILL, SOMERSET SCHOOL BOARDS

Herbert “Skip” Norfleet and Charles R. “Renny” Smith apparently were elected to the Science Hill Board of Education, and Jeff L. Perkins and Gretchen W. Cole apparently are winners in the Somerset Board of Education contest.

SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

Don Minton, Barbara Fulcher Jones, Timothy Tarter and Jack DeBord were elected as Soil and Water Conservation District supervisors.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

Some 19,500 Pulaski Countians voted “yes” and 2,644 voted “no” on a constitution amendment. The question was “Are you in favor of amending the constitution to state that the citizens of Kentucky have the personal right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife, subject to laws and regulations that promote conservation and preserve the future of hunting and fishing, and to state that public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife?”

Somerset City Council contests and Pulaski County Board of Education winners are in other stories in this edition.

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