Election results to be certified today
Counties around Washington will certify their election results today, clearing up any lingering questions about who or what won some close contests.
Most races in Spokane County, which certifies its results at 1 p.m., have long been decided, but there are a couple of close ones in the small towns: Ron Cockle leads Rebecca Johnson by two votes for Position 1 on the Spangle Council and Melanie Meagher and Patricia Neumann are tied with 41 votes each in the race for Position 1 on the Latah Council.
The canvassing board often has to decide the fate of a few ballots whose signatures are close but don't quite match the voter files, and state law requires recounts on races that close. Anything that winds up tied is settled by drawing lots or flipping a coin.
The county did run all the verified ballots it had left on Monday. Turnout stands at a not-so-impressive but better-than-some-expected 43.14 percent. That's about 2 percentage points lower than the state average.
