Canvassing board looks over Benton County ballots

PROSSER -- Deciphering ballots can be tricky, the Benton County Canvassing Board's members discovered Monday as they pored over more than 1,000 questionable general election ballots.

One intriguing example was the voter who attached a note of explanation.

"I will not vote for (John) McCain, but against (Barack) Obama," the voter scrawled on a crinkled white slip of paper, adding the mark in the Republican presidential box was only for McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The canvassing board -- Auditor Bobbie Gagner, Commissioner Max Benitz and Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kathleen Galioto -- ruled the voter's presidential choice did not count because a vote can't be for half a presidential ticket.

In total, the board accepted 912 of the questioned ballots, rejected 158 and referred three to the prosecutor's office for possible voter fraud during Monday's deliberations. The board plans to conclude its work at 9 a.m. today at the Benton County Auditor's Office in Prosser.

On today's agenda are 122 discrepancies between signatures on ballot envelopes and those recorded on voter registrations, 77 ballots without signed envelopes, 119 ballots postmarked too late, one ballot submitted past the 8 p.m. deadline on election day and four ballots cast by voters who don't have signatures on file.

Among the ballots questioned Monday were those that voters signed or initialed even though the ballots included written instructions that said not to sign the ballots themselves. If the initials or signatures were legible, the board rejected the ballots to protect voter anonymity.

The board also rejected provisional ballots cast by voters who weren't registered by the state-mandated deadline.

One case involved a voter who submitted a provisional ballot from another county, which then forwarded the ballot to Benton County. But the same voter also submitted a Benton County ballot. The board rejected the ballot that was received last and forwarded the case to the prosecuting attorney, who will decide if the voter knowingly voted more than once, which is voter fraud.

Though understanding a voter's intent can be challenging, Gagner said this year's canvassing is far easier than 2004, when the board evaluated ballots late into the night while the tight race between Gov. Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi hung over their heads.

Canvassing is open to the public, though observers must sign in and wear an identification tag. The board plans to wrap up its work by certifying the county's 2008 general election results today.

* Franny White: 582-1542; fwhite@tricityherald.com