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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Officials test ballot scanners

Kootenai County Elections Manager Carrie Phillips scans test ballots Monday to verify the operation of the county's two high-speed scanner and tabulator machines at the elections office. County Clerk Jim Brannon, right, and Bob Bingham, a candidate for county commissioner representing District 3, observe the logic and accuracy test.  (Scott Maben)
Kootenai County Elections Manager Carrie Phillips scans test ballots Monday to verify the operation of the county's two high-speed scanner and tabulator machines at the elections office. County Clerk Jim Brannon, right, and Bob Bingham, a candidate for county commissioner representing District 3, observe the logic and accuracy test. (Scott Maben)

Kootenai County Elections Manager Carrie Phillips scans test ballots Monday to verify the operation of the county's two high-speed scanner and tabulator machines at the elections office. County Clerk Jim Brannon, right, and Bob Bingham, a candidate for county commissioner representing District 3, observe the logic and accuracy test.

Each machine can scan up to 300 ballots per minute. It also separates ballots marked with write-in candidates for a separate count of those candidates. Eight presidential candidates are on the ballot in Idaho, and another 37 candidates filed paperwork with the state to declare their interest in running as write-in candidates. A few of those are Idaho residents, but most are from other states.

After the polls close Tuesday, the first ballots to be scanned and reported will be the absentee ballots cast in the general election. Then the elections staff will begin scanning ballots from the county's polling places. Final results are expected to be reported well after midnight, Phillips said.

The Spokesman-Review, Huckleberries and Eye on Boise will be reporting results and reaction throughout the evening Tuesday.

Scott Maben



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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