Officials at the Ada County Board of Elections have discovered an error in Tuesday's Primary Election results.

According to a statement from Phil McGrane, chief deputy in the Ada County Clerk's Office, the discovery was made by an election official while comparing the reported ovals read by vote-counting equipment to actual write-in votes counted. A subsequent review of audit logs, generated by the equipment, revealed that 34 ballots sent to be manually read by the write-in board were not re-read by the machines to tabulate the remaining results on those ballots. According to the statement, "it appears that as many as seven precincts may be included" in the group of ballots that were not counted.

The official re-counting and certification of ballots will begin Monday, May 21, at 11 a.m. at Ada County Election Headquarters. Representatives from each political party have been notified of the error and the certification process.

Elections are tense enough: soliciting camaign donations, knocking on doors, debating and waiting for the results on Election Night. But in Payette, two candidates for city council had to endure one more test this past week: the flip of a coin.

When the dust had settled on Nov. 8, Kathy Dodson and Jeff Sands were tied with 376 votes apiece. Instead of holding a run-off election, Payette Officials decided to flip a coin. As the coin flew through the air, Dodson called heads. The coin landed on tails, giving Sands the victory.

There may be a third act to the election. Dodson indicated that she would request a recount through the Idaho Attorney General's office.

In what was the most expensive political race in the Pacific Northwest, Washington voters have kicked their state out of the liquor business. A $22.7 million campaign, fed in large part by the Costco Wholesale company, resulted in 60 percent of voters favoring Initiative 1183, which will now allow private retailers to sell spirits in Washington.

Beginning next June, Washington liquor sales shift away from state-run stores, resulting in an elimination of 900 state jobs. However, Washington budget officials estimated that the number of liquor retailers will jump from 328 to 1,428, generating approximately $80 million in annual revenue for the state and local government.

UPDATE: Nov. 9, 1 a.m.
When all the votes had been counted at Ada County Board of Elections, it was determined that only 17,359 voters had gone to the polls in the City of Boise Tuesday. More than 108,000 were registered.

The big winners in Boise: Mayor Dave Bieter who sailed to a third term over David Hall by a 3-to-1 margin, Council Member David Eberle who won big over David "Pappy" Honey, and Council Members Elaine Clegg and Lauren McLean who ran unopposed. Joining their ranks will be Ben Quintana, who won council Seat 2 convincingly over challengers Michael Cunningham and L.W. Johnson.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night came in Eagle, where incumbent Mayor Jim Reynolds swamped Norm Semanko, state Republican Party chairman, 78 percent to 22 percent. Mark Butler and Mary Defayette were elected to Eagle's City Council.

In Meridian, incumbent Mayor Tammy de Weerd easily won re-election with more than 51 percent of the vote. Challengers Gerry Sweet won 27 percent of the vote and Jason Monks nabbed 20 percent. Two others fell far behind. David Zaremba and Charles Rountree won seats on the Meridian City Council.

In Kuna, incumbent Mayor Scott Dowdy was defeated by Greg Nelson.

In Ketchum, voters decided not to pursue a city manager form of government, and in Hailey, voters rejected an initiative that would have banned plastic grocery bags at local retailers.

—George Prentice

UPDATE: 10:26 p.m.
Current City Council member T.J. Thomson talks bike laws and routes with Boise Weekly.

UPDATE: 10:19 p.m.
Bieter says the "fight begins tonight" regarding his public transit agenda. (Pictured below, Bieter talking with Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce CEO Bill Connors.)

UPDATE: 10:15 p.m.
Rep. Brian Cronin talks to Boise Weekly about the City Council's chances for a local option tax.

UPDATE: 10:01 p.m.
In Eagle, incumbent Reynolds still holds a lead over Semanko with 76 percent. In Meridian De Weerd still has a big lead with 55 percent. Sweet follows with 27 percent and Monks at 16 percent. In Boise, Mayor Bieter arrives at the Basque Center and says, "Sorry I'm late. Babysitter was a no-show." pic.twitter.com/dugHcC5B

UPDATE: 9:56 p.m.
Nearly 46 percent of Ada County votes counted now. In the race for mayor Bieter has 75 percent and Hall has 25 percent. In City Council seat 2, Quintana is at 56 percent, Cunningham at 30 percent, Johnson at 14 percent. In City Council seat 3, Eberle is at 78 percent and Honey at 22 percent.

UPDATE: 9:53 p.m.
In Boise City Coucil seat 2 race, Ben Quintana leads with 56 percent, Michael Cunningham has 30 percent and Lawrence Johnson is at 14 percent. About 22 percent of the vote is counted in Ada County.

UPDATE: 9:51 p.m.
Ketchum voters say "no" to city manager position over mayorship. Read more about that vote here.

UPDATE: 9:46 p.m.
Half the vote counted in Canyon County. Leaders in Caldwell Council races: Jim Blacker in Caldwell City Council seat 5, David Clark is ahead in seat 6, and Shannon Ozuna is leading by only 10 votes in the seat 4 race against Erik Constantine Makrush.

UPDATE: 9:43 p.m.
In Hailey tonight, it's a tight vote on banning single-use plastic shopping bags with a return of 51 percent for the ban to 49 percent against.

UPDATE: 9:38 p.m.
Read more about the candidates for Boise mayor and four City Council seats here. More on the five-way race for mayor in Meridian here. And more on the race for Eagle's next mayor here.

UPDATE: 9:30 p.m.
Numbers beyond Boise are also starting to roll in. Very few votes have been tallied in Eagle so far, but in the mayor's race Jim Reynolds has 75 percent of the vote over Norm Semanko. In the Meridian mayor's race, Tammy de Weerd has 61 percent, Gerry Sweet has 25 percent, Jason Monks has 12 percent, Lisa Paternoster clocks in at 1 percent and Randy Pew has less than 1 percent.

UPDATE: 9:28 p.m.
With 15 percent of votes in, the City Council race for seat 3, incumbent David Eberle is leading with 79 percent of the vote and challenger David "Pappy" Honey has 21 percent.

UPDATE: 9:24 p.m.
Numbers are starting to roll in. So far, 15 percent of votes have been tallied. In the mayor's race, incumbent Dave Bieter has 75 percent with 25 percent of the vote going to challenger David Hall.

UPDATE: 9:22 p.m.
City Council candidate Ben Quintana tells Boise Weekly whether social media had an effect on the election.

UPDATE: 9:18 p.m.
Much younger crowd @benquintana party @bardenay #BoiseVotes pic.twitter.com/Db70UsxW

UPDATE: 9:03 p.m.
David Eberle rallies the troops. #BoiseVotes http://t.co/v1P8W6wo

UPDATE: 8:48 p.m.
@benquintana arrives at his party central @Bardenay, across street from Bieter shindig pic.twitter.com/Ooqh4mAR

ORIGINAL POST—8:32 p.m.
As election results in Boise City elections roll in, Boise Weekly's team of reporters will be filing video updates via Twitter throughout the night. Follow all our live election coverage on Twitter by following @boiseweekly or visit twitter.com/boiseweekly.

We'll also re-post those reports at our Facebook page, facebook.com/boiseweekly, and at this post, which will be updated throughout the night.

In an election that saw more than 9,000 voters participate (more than four times the 21-year average), former Ada County Commissioner Judy Peavey-Derr and Hy Kloc have won seats to the Greater Boise Auditorium District. In unofficial results, not completely tabulated until after 2 a.m. this morning, Peavey-Derr secured 3,184 votes, and Kloc came in second with 2,771. Following the winners were David Wali with 2,328, Michael Sullivan with 2,246, Steve Schmader with 2,156, and the lone incumbent Stephenson Youngerman trailed the pack with 1,992.

Peavey-Derr said throughout the campaign that she was reluctant to quickly resume funding to the Boise Convention and Visitors Bureau, which saw its financial support cut off by the GBAD board in a deeply divided vote last summer. Kloc, who was endorsed by Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, said he would prefer that the funding resume sooner than later.

Voters in Nampa rejected the idea of forming their own auditorium district with 1,464 voting no to 1,072 yes votes. But voters in Idaho Falls overwhelmingly supported the creation of a new auditorium district, 4,788 to 2,774.

More than 16,000 voters went to the polls in Meridian on Tuesday with more than 9,000 rejecting a two-year, $18.5 million-a-year school levy. A $1.5 million supplemental levy was rejected in Kuna. School levies were also turned down in Fruitland, Mountain Home and Payette.

Supplemental school levies passed in Emmett, Melba, Parma and Wilder.

"The Court finds that Plaintiffs have met their burden."

With that, U.S. District Judge B.Lynn Winmill handed down a decision today declaring Idaho's open primary system unconstitutional.

In the case of Republican Party versus Ben Ysursa (Idaho's Attorney General representing the status quo), the GOP had argued that its primaries had been impacted by what they called "raiding" by opposing parties. Winmill wrote in his decision that he found "clear evidence of crossover voting." Winmill cited several pieces of evidence, which concluded that when Republicans and Independents are lumped together "there is more than likely a 20 to 30 percent crossover."

Read Winmill's decision.

It's official: Not the count, but the re-count effort. Ada County Election officials told Citydesk that the Idaho Attorney General's Office has officially ordered that the razor-thin margin for the District 18 House A election will trigger a re-canvass of votes.

Unofficial votes showed Republican Julie Ellsworth winning by nine votes over Democrat Janie Ward-Engelking. The unofficial tally: 6,429-6,420.

State law mandates a recount when the margin is less than one-tenth of 1 percent of total votes cast. The initial canvass will not be certified until Wednesday, Nov. 17, and a re-count cannot begin until that happens.

The two were running for the seat vacated by Democrat Rep. Branden Durst, who lost a race for District 18 Senate, won by Republican Mitch Toryanksi.

While shaking off the Election Night hangover, Citydesk pulled out its notes from its statewide election preview to see if what voters warned us about bore some reality.

In Idaho's panhandle where we were told, "challengers don't cut ribbons," referring to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's frequent visits to break ground or open new businesses, Otter—who lost in Bonner and Shoshone counties in the last election—won big. Otter won by a huge 32 percent margin in Bonner County and by 22 percent in Shoshone County.

In North Central Idaho, where locals told us that they were ready for an alternative, but weren't familiar enough with challenger Keith Allred or his platform, voters handed Otter another big win in Nez Perce County by nearly 3,000 votes. Otter had previously lost Nez Perce County, as had his Republican predecessor Dirk Kempthorne.

In Southwest Idaho, you don't have look beyond Ada County, where Otter once again won big in a region where he had previously lost. Otter won Ada by a 14 percent margin. In Canyon County, Otter won huge by a 43 percent margin.

In Central Idaho, Allred found a bit of good news. He won Blaine County, but only by 1,300 votes.

In the Magic Valley, Allred lost the battle of what voters called "cowboy one-upmanship." He lost big. In Allred's home base of Twin Falls County, Otter swamped Allred by nearly 6,000 votes.

And In Eastern Idaho, where LDS Republicans told us that indeed faith matters, Allred lost Bannock County by only 2 percent of the vote. A number of voters, who said they were Mormons and Republicans, told us they were voting for Allred, but had hoped that the candidate would have been a bit more public about the importance of his membership in the LDS church.

In the legislature, there were several big gains by Republicans. In the Treasure Valley, Republican Julie Ellsworth squeaked a win (nine votes) to claim House Seat A in District 18. A recount is expected, but if Ellsworth's win holds, that's a net gain for the GOP. Ellsworth won the seat previously held by Rep. Branden Durst, who ran for the State Senate in the same district. Bad move. He lost to Republican Mitch Toryanksi for the seat previously held by Kate Kelly. Another net gain for Republicans.

The Democrats had a bit of good news to stop the bleeding. Up in Latah County, Democratic newcomer Dan Schmidt won the seat previously held by Republican Rep. Gary Schroeder.

Overall, only 13 Democrats remain in the Idaho House, compared to 57 Republicans. In the Idaho Senate, there will be seven Democrats to face off with 28 Republicans.

Election night. The air was vibrating with jubilation at the GOP after-party. The Doubletree Riverside was packed with raucous conversation, laughter, and congratulations for yet another Republican win. Jonathan Parker is the face of young Republicans in Idaho. Parker struted the room, a can of Mountain Dew in hand, a beaming smile bright enough to attract moths. As the 31-year-old executive director for the Young Republican Party of Idaho, he has been working from sun up to sun down for the past three months.

“I’ve always been interested in politics, but haven’t always been involved in politics. I’m the first one in my family to be involved. My grandpa was actually a union Democrat,” says Parker.

Statistically, young Americans are disengaged in politics. According to The Third Millennium, only one in ten voters are between the ages of 18-29.

Why this interest in the election among these young Idahoans? What issues resonate with them to lure them out late on a Tuesday night?

Parker said it's fiscal responsibility, “The stereotype of the Republican Party as being dominated by old, white men is being changed by the young Republicans. We’re trying to get everybody involved as an inclusive group and especially in the past few years we’ve seen our membership grow to people who are really concerned about the deficit. Our parents’ generation is not going to have to pay for this deficit, we are, and we’re seeing more people getting involved and taking a more active role in politics in Idaho.”

A young couple, each 20-years-old, who wished to remain anonymous said, “I think most of the young people I know, Republican and Democrat, are mostly concerned with the state of the economy. No one wants to be jobless right when they get out of college on top of having a huge student loan to pay off. We’re Republican because we think that money issues are taken seriously by our party.”

“I never gave a rip about elections until two years ago. I figured that Idaho is always Republican, so what does it matter? But now with the recession, every vote can count for something and I want my vote to be with the guys who will fight for tax breaks and self-reliance. I want my money to help me before helping a starving family in India,” says Joanna Barry, a 22-year-old student at Boise State University.

Are these guys and gals regurgitating the party line? Parker can’t stand a blind follower. “It’s actually one of my pet peeves that young Republicans and young Democrats just do whatever their parents or grandparents did and they really haven’t researched the issues or researched the candidates to really find out what they believe. On both sides they’re indoctrinated.”

Gene and Harriet Badeshein were the coolest kids at the biggest party on the block. The couple was difficult to miss standing outside the suite at the Owyhee Plaza dedicated to gubernatorial candidate Keith Allred. The Badesheins are the couple that you wish could be your grandparents — with kind eyes, genuine smiles, and sweet faces. They stood together in their matching bright blue T-shirts baring Allred’s name, shaking hands and exchanging hugs with the never-ceasing stream of supporters that slithered down the hallway. They knew almost everyone by name, and their dedication to the cause was easily evidenced in the way that they spoke about Allred; “

He just has high moral standards and really fine ideas about what the government should do for the people,” Harriet said, her voice filled with the kind of pride generally reserved for parents beaming about their children.

The Badesheins began volunteering for Allred’s campaign at the beginning, “When Keith was still doing house parties,” Gene explained. The mass of volunteers at democratic headquarters on the night of Nov. 2 was an eclectic mix of college students, career-oriented individuals, and parents keeping a close eye on their obviously bored offspring. The Badesheins, however, belonged to the most apparent and perhaps largest group of campaign volunteers — the retirees.

Gene and Harriet could be called serial volunteers. They’ve assisted at the Sun Valley Music Festival, various schools, and Ponderosa Park during the summers — not to mention several political campaigns. Harriet’s cheeks were rosy as she explained the reason for the couple’s constant volunteerism: “I think people should give back, and frankly, people our age who just sit at home get old. And we’re not ready to get old.”
Old certainly isn’t the word to describe this vivacious couple, even though Gene recently celebrated his 80th birthday. They’re active, well-networked, and exceptionally social. Gene, an Idaho native, spent 30 years working for Idaho Power, and more than seven working for Boise State University. Harriet is a transplant from New York City, but has been in Idaho since 1971. She spent 28 years working for the Boise School District, and her love for children was apparent when she recalled seeing Allred’s children helping with his campaign:

“It was just precious to watch them with their little fists, sealing the envelopes," said Harriet. "It was amazing.”

Even prior to the announcement of Allred’s defeat, Gene admitted that it was going to be a “Tough night for democrats, we know that, and yet there’s more enthusiasm here than any previous year’s gathering that I’ve been to.” But for this exceptional couple, volunteering isn’t about ensuring a win — it’s about giving back and meeting people. “You’d be amazed at the fine people that you meet,” Harriet said, “They are really the quality people of the city.”

The Badesheins haven’t ever disagreed on a cause or a candidate to volunteer for during their 23-year marriage, and they aren’t too worried about it happening in the near future. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Harriet said with a matter-of-fact tone.
At the end of the evening, Gene placed his hand on Harriet’s slightly stooped shoulder, and the couple meandered toward the stairs. It had been a long evening, and the couple was ready to call it a night. They were unsure about their next volunteering venture.

“We’re going to take a deep breath, we’ll tell you down the road — we’re not sure what’s next at this point” Harriet said, an exhausted look in her eyes. "We’re ready for a ready for a little rest. It’s been very hectic, but it’s been good,”