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Friday, July 30, 2010 | Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County: Since 1929
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Democratic Party counts provisional ballots
Published March 10, 2010
The race between two Democrats to become that party’s nominee for the position of County Commissioner Precinct 4 moved one step closer to resolution Tuesday.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Democratic Party’s early ballot board convened at the Val Verde County Courthouse to count provisional and overseas ballots that were not included in the tally of the votes cast in the March 2 Democratic Party Primary Election.
Provisional ballots are ballots that were cast by voters whose names could not be found on voter registration lists during early voting or at the polling locations on March 2. Overseas ballots could be received by the county clerk’s office until 5 p.m. Monday.
These types of ballots have been cast in every Val Verde County election, but their numbers are rarely enough to make a difference in contested races.
That was not the case in the March 2 Democratic Party Primary Election.
Once the early votes and the votes cast on the day of the election on March 2 were counted, only 19 votes separated the vote totals of the two men seeking the County Commissioner Precinct 4 seat – the incumbent, Jesus “Cheo” Ortiz and challenger Gustavo “Gus” Flores.
The winner of the Democratic Party’s nomination is unopposed by a Republican Party nominee in the November General Election.
On Tuesday, the Democratic Party’s early ballot board considered 19 provisional and overseas ballots, but counted only eight of those, according to Val Verde County Democratic Party Chair Diana Salgado.
Salgado said the 11 other ballots presented to the early ballot board were rejected because the persons who cast them were not registered to vote, because they had previously cancelled their voter registration in Val Verde County or because they were registered to vote in one precinct, but cast ballots in another precinct.
Salgado said in the County Commissioner Precinct 4 race, three more votes were added to Ortiz’s total tally, lengthening his apparent lead over Flores to 22 votes.
An obviously disappointed Flores, who waited for the results of the early ballot board’s tally on the first floor of the courthouse with several supporters, said he will fight on.
Flores said he has presented Salgado with $500 and a petition for a hand-recount of the ballots cast in the County Commissioner Precinct 4 race.
Salgado on Tuesday confirmed that Flores has formally requested a recount and said that recount will likely take place seven days from Tuesday.
The counting of the provisional and overseas ballots also left unchanged the results of a five-person race for Justice of the Peace Precinct 3.
Salgado confirmed Tuesday that race has resulted in a runoff between Al Padilla and Becky Luna-Chavez, the two top vote-getters. Salgado said that runoff will be April 13.
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