Craft remains winner in sheriff’s race
Staff writer
It was indeed a close race but as in horseshoes, close doesn’t count when it comes to an election.
The recount the afternoon of Aug. 13 did not change the outcome. As a matter of fact, the numbers were exactly the same as canvassed Aug. 8, with Marion County Sheriff Republican candidate Robert Craft winning the primary election by 31 votes against incumbent sheriff Lee Becker, also a Republican, 1,166 to 1,135.
In the nearly 25 years that county clerk Carol Maggard has been in the clerk’s office, this is only the second time a recount has occurred. The first time was just a few months ago when Jerry Kline asked for one when he lost his bid to be re-elected to Marion City Council.
In this most recent recount, it took about 70 minutes for the recount board, comprised of poll supervisors and county officials to determine there were no errors made by the automatic scanner and the results would stand.
Becker had requested the recount and had the option of having the recount conducted by hand with each ballot read aloud and the recount board tallying the results on a piece of paper, or through the automated scanner. Becker chose the scanner.
Even though the focus was the sheriff’s race, the scanner read the entire ballot. There were five ballots that were not able to be read by the scanner, so the recount board hand-tallied those results which were added with the scanned results.
Craft was present for the recount, Becker was not.
Craft’s name will be on the November ballot. No Democratic candidate filed for the position.