The Clark County Election Board decided Tuesday night against a formal recount of ballots cast at four Jeffersonville High School precincts, instead voting to let candidates or party members file their own petitions if they want one. The decision follows a ballot scanner malfunction on Election Day that forced poll workers to move a data stick from a broken machine to a working one, raising questions about whether every vote was properly tabulated in a state Senate race separated by fewer than 300 votes.
What Went Wrong at Jeffersonville High School
According to newsandtribune.com, a ballot scanner at the high school malfunctioned on Election Day, requiring poll workers to transfer the data stick from the original machine to a different one that was still functioning. Clark County Clerk Ryan Lynch said the switch raised concerns about a discrepancy involving ballots cast on the first machine versus the second, according to the same report. As first reported by WHAS11, election officials pointed to a machine jam as the source of the ballot issue.
The malfunction also forced some voter names to be recorded by hand rather than through the usual electronic process, which WLKY reports heightened concerns about two closely contested local races. Attorney Mickey Weber told the station that the number of votes cast in the four affected precincts exceeds the margin of victory in both the state Senate race and the county auditor's race, meaning the outcome of those contests could hinge on exactly how those ballots were counted.
Board Split on Whether a Recount Was Even Necessary
The board had originally posted notice that it would simply count the physical ballots cast in the four precincts, without tallying votes for candidates, offices or public questions, per the same report from the station. That plan fell apart Tuesday night when the board split on how to proceed. Clerk Lynch and fellow Republican board member Tony Singleton voted to approve resolutions declaring that a recount was unnecessary, the station's report notes.
Board Chairman Andrew Steele disagreed, arguing a recount could be conducted without compromising ballot secrecy, according to the same account. With the board deadlocked on the question, candidates and party members were left to pursue their own recount petitions rather than waiting on the board to act collectively.
A Senate Race Separated by Less Than 300 Votes
Preliminary results show Republican Sen. Chris Garten leading Democratic challenger Nick Marshall by just 297 votes, 21,817 to 21,520, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. That margin is tight enough that any uncertainty over the Jeffersonville precincts could matter, which is part of why Weber flagged the discrepancy to the board in the first place. Candidates have until Nov. 17 to file recount petitions themselves, the outlet reports.
Clark County was due to certify its election results the following week, according to WLKY's report. The Clark County Clerk of Courts had posted a notice indicating the board intended only to count the number of physical ballots cast in the listed precincts, not to tally votes for any candidate or question — a narrower exercise than a true recount, and one that ultimately did not move forward as planned.
It remains unclear whether any candidate or party official will file a recount petition before the Nov. 17 deadline, or how the underlying machine discrepancy will ultimately be resolved. For now, the outcome of both the state Senate race and the county auditor's race rests on whatever happens next in that petition window.
