The Juliaetta City Council election has resulted in a tie following a tabulation error identified by the Latah County Auditor’s Office.

Initial unofficial results from November 4 indicated that Richard Tackett had secured a narrow victory over Amanda Fletcher by one vote. However, during the subsequent canvassing process, election officials discovered that eight absentee ballots had been counted twice. As a result of the recount and canvass, both Tackett and Fletcher received a total of 72 votes, leading to an official tie.

Julie Fry, the Latah County Auditor, expressed that the canvassing procedure effectively identified the discrepancy. To prevent such issues from occurring in the future, the elections department plans to implement a distinct method for counting absentee ballots.

An official hand recount is to be conducted, though the specifics regarding the timing and location have not yet been established. If the recount maintains the tie, a coin flip will determine the winner of the Juliaetta City Council position.