Nearly four weeks after the election, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks is poised to be declared the official winner — by just six votes — in what has become the closest congressional race in the country, flipping a seat held by Democrats for the past 14 years. The Scott County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday to certify the results of a county recount in the uncalled Iowa 2nd congressional district race, despite an unexplained 131-ballot discrepancy between the number of absentee ballots counted on election day and those counted by the recount board. A state canvassing board is scheduled to meet Monday afternoon, the legal deadline under Iowa Code, to certify the results of the race, following a districtwide recount in all 24 counties, and officially declare Miller-Meeks as the winner of the race. However, there is still a possibility of legal challenges brought by the campaign of Democrat Rita Hart, which would set in motion a proceeding before a judicial panel.
Iowa: Voters in Warren County reject GOP-appointed auditor who posted about 2020 election doubts | Hannah Fingerhut/Associated Press
A Republican-controlled board in an Iowa county appointed David Whipple, a fellow Republican with no experience running elections and who had questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential contest, as county auditor, leading to outrage among local Democrats. In a special election, voters in Warren County overwhelmingly chose Kimberly Sheets, a Democrat who had served in the auditor’s office, over Whipple, indicating a desire for voters to have a say in the candidate for such an important office and a stand against perceived overreach by local government. Read Article