Hayes Explains Precinct Numbers

Kootenai County’s website showed the unofficial election results from the May 15 primary in a way that some people didn’t understand, so it’s been revised. Absentee votes cast for national, state & county offices are not included in the by-precinct counts listed on the website.  These votes are in the Absentee Precincts results, listed as Precincts #71, 72 & 73. However, results totals for Precinct Committeemen did include both absentee ballots and ballots cast in the precincts on election day. At first those two types of ballots cast were not separated; now they are. County Clerk Cliff Hayes continued, “We didn’t anticipate some people would compare apples (the national, state & county ballot numbers without absentee votes) and oranges (the precinct committeemen ballot numbers with absentee votes) and become confused.” Elections staff has now revised the Precinct Committeemen results posting on the County’s website/ Kootenai County Clerk’s Office news release. More here.

Question: So was it our fault that the numbers were confusing or the reporting method?