A District Court judge ruled Friday that North Las Vegas must certify a City Council race decided by one vote and it can’t hold a special election to resolve questions about an ineligible voter who might have participated in the June 7 contest. Wade Wagner, a Republican, beat incumbent Councilman Richard Cherchio, a Democrat, by a single vote for the Ward 4 seat in the nonpartisan election.
The council later decided to redo the election on July 19 in one precinct and allow all registered voters to take part, even if they didn’t cast ballots in the first race.
Wagner’s attorney, Todd Bice, said the judge’s ruling nullifies an improper action by the council. He accused the council of trying to skew the outcome by picking a heavily Democratic precinct and not limiting participation to those who had voted before.
“I think it was election manipulating,” Bice said.
Councilwoman Anita Wood called the judge’s decision frustrating but said the council now has no choice but to canvass the election.
Because an ineligible vote may have been cast in the race, Wood said she is still troubled by certifying the results.
State law requires a government to deal with clerical errors discovered during an election to ensure the outcome reflects “the true vote cast,” she said.
Full Article: Judge’s ruling halts North Las Vegas special election – News – ReviewJournal.com.