Election Problem for East Council Seat Resolved November 18, 2005 City Council race mix-up fixed Delbert Hodson elected in Marriott-Slaterville after votes recast due to boundary confusion BY LYNZE WARDLE Standard-Examiner staff lwe@standard.net MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE The winner of a Marriott-Slaterville City Council race has been announced, more than a week after officials discovered some residents had received ballots for the wrong candidates. Incumbent Delbert Hodson beat Kent Meyerhoffer by a vote count of 95-81, said City Attorney Bill Morris. On Nov. 8, 21 residents living in Hodson the city's east district were accidentally given ballots with the names of west district candidates. The mistake was discovered after polls had closed. The affected residents were asked to recast their votes last weekend, Morris said. The election results were announced Wednesday by 2nd District Court Judge Brent West, fol- Election 2005 lowing a final ballot count in his courtroom. Consequences of the mix-up could have been worse, Morris said. The mistake did not affect the city's mayoral race, county ballot propositions or west district City Council race, where candidate Kim Slater ran unopposed. "There are many mistakes that happen in life that cannot be fixed, but fortunately, there are some that can be made right," Morris said. The mix-up occurred when one election judge became confused about recent boundary changes. Morris said next year, the city recorder will teach judges exactly where the boundaries lie and provide them with maps displaying district lines. Both candidates agreed that they spent little time or energy worrying about the results of the race. Meyerhoffer said at least one good thing came from the mix-up. "It helped teach people a little more about the election process," he said. "We learned that sometimes, mistakes happen."