Montana County Declares Wrong Winner After Overcounting Votes
In Butte-Silver Bow County, Montana, a significant voting error occurred during a primary election where more than 1,000 ballots were overcounted, leading to the declaration of incorrect winners in crucial races. A post-canvassing audit prompted a recount, revealing that 1,131 votes counted exceeded the number of actual voters. Election officials suspect that the overcount was due to residual sample data in the voting software that was not cleared before Election Day. The county clerk, Linda Sajor-Joyce, could not account for 11 of the excess votes.
The incident highlights the need for improved systems to detect such discrepancies early. In response, there have been calls for methods to ensure that the number of votes counted aligns with the number of voters who participated. Similar issues have been raised in other states, such as Georgia, where the State Election Board recently implemented a new rule requiring that the counted votes must equal the ballots cast. This rule is part of broader efforts to enhance election integrity, following past incidents of double counting in Fulton County during the 2020 election. these developments stress the importance of accurate vote counting and robust election oversight measures.
A Montana county declared the wrong winner in a race after overcounting votes.
During a post-canvassing audit of the Butte-Silver Bow County primary that was held in June, election officials suspected an overcount of more than 1,000 ballots, prompting a judge to order a recount. The recount discovered that 1,131 more votes were counted than voters who voted. Data shows a very similar number of votes in each precinct was overcounted.
Election officials are not entirely sure what happened, though Butte-Silver Bow County Clerk and Recorder Linda Sajor-Joyce told leaders she believes the extra ballots were from sample data that had not been cleared from the software by Election Day, according to KTVH. In total, Sajor-Joyce could not explain 11 of the overcounted votes, according to NBC Montana.
As a result of the discrepancy, officials declared the wrong winner in a Republican precinct committeeman race and declared the wrong candidate to be the frontrunner in the race for county attorney general.
Officials say the incident underscores the need for a way to catch such an issue earlier, according to KTVH.
But Republicans who have proposed methods to reconcile the number of votes counted with the number of voters who voted have run into opposition from Democrats, as is the case in Georgia.
The Georgia State Election Board (SEB) recently approved Rule 183-1-12-.12, which requires precincts to ensure the number of votes counted equals the number of ballots cast. The rule requires that the “hand count ballot totals” match the “numbers recorded on the precinct poll pads, ballot marking devices … and scanner recap forms.”
Cobb County Republican Chairwoman Salleigh Grubbs told The Federalist the reconciliation process is like “going to the bank and getting a deposit receipt. You just want to be sure that the number of bills you say are there are actually accounted for.”
The SEB determined in May that Fulton County double-scanned more than 3,000 ballots during the 2020 election, a violation of the law. Kevin Moncla, who filed a complaint against the county, tells The Federalist the ballots were also double-counted since they appeared in the cast vote record.
The board also approved a separate rule, Rule 183-1-12-.02, which clarifies that county election boards have the right to make “reasonable inquiry that the tabulation and canvassing of the election are complete and accurate” before certifying election results.
Georgia statute already stipulated that should the “total vote returned” exceed the number of voters recorded, the “excess shall be deemed a discrepancy and palpable error and shall be investigated by the superintendent” before certification. The new rules create a uniform process for counties to follow.
Yet Democrats, backed by election meddler Marc Elias, the Democratic National Committee, and Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, are suing the board over these rules. The attack is part of a nationwide pressure campaign by left-wing activists and their media allies to force election officials to rubber-stamp election results without asking questions like: Does the number of voters recorded equal the number of ballots?
Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2
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