Elections certified

Two write-in candidates have earned seats on a pair of area city councils.
In Moran, Chad Lawson received 23 write-in votes during Tuesday’s city and school elections, netting him a council seat, County Clerk Sherrie Riebel told the Register.
With only one declared candidate for two vacant seats — incumbent James Mueller — a write-in candidate was virtually guaranteed for the Moran governing body.
A combined 43 write-in votes were cast in Moran.
Likewise, Rick Schulenberg received eight of the nine write-in votes in the Gas City Council election.
As with Moran, the Gas council had more vacant seats (three) than candidates (two). George Grisier and Larry Robertson, whose names were on the ballot, were re-elected.

COUNTY commissioners canvassed the election this morning to make official Tuesday’s votes.
The canvassing process includes the examination of provisional ballots, or ballots used to record a vote when there are questions about a voter’s eligibility.
The provisionals did not change the results from LaHarpe’s razor-thin margin, in which newcomer Danny Ware Jr. edged incumbent Savannah Flory by a single vote, 43 to 42.
There were four provisional ballots cast in LaHarpe.
The provisional ballots also did not change results from the LaHarpe mayor’s race, in which EllaMae Crowell defeated Lloyd Wayne Turner, 38 votes to 35, in a three-way race with incumbent Cynthia Carr.

THERE also weren’t enough provisionals to alter the results of the USD 258 Board of Education election, in which four candidates were chosen from a pool of eight. A handful of votes cast from district voters living in Woodson County narrowed the margin slightly, however.
While Joe Works, Donald Hauser and Scott Murrow easily won seats, Sandra Whitaker’s margin over Craig Mintz was narrowed to five votes (211 to 206).

WHILE THE election was certified this morning, Aaron Franklin and Austin Sigg — elected to seats on the Iola City Council — will not be seated until the council’s April 27 meeting.
That’s because any losing candidate has until 5 p.m. Tuesday to seek a recount.
As an aside, Flory told the Register she would not seek a recount in the LaHarpe race.
A full list of elected candidates will be in Tuesday’s Register.