Revote may not change outcome

Adrienne Packer

Monday, May 17, 1999 | 11:37 a.m.

An unprecedented North Las Vegas revote that is expected to cost taxpayers as much as $10,000 might not affect the final outcome in the race for two City Council seats.

Only two votes separated candidates Ron Long and Marcia Blake after the May 4 primary elections. Blake appeared to be the winner, advancing to the general election, until errors surfaced with voting machines in two precincts.

When Long requested a recount and the ballots were retallied, the number of votes outnumbered the verification signatures by two.

That leaves the two candidates fighting for the fourth slot on the general election ballot. Only the top two vote-getters June 8 will win council seats.

The fight for a spot on the ballot comes to a conclusion this week, as residents who voted during the primary are asked to return to the polls Thursday for a revote. Early voting will be available today through Wednesday at City Hall.

"The city attorney made the call," City Clerk Eileen Sevigny said. "It was his determination that the people who made the effort to vote the first time should have the opportunity to vote a second time."

City Attorney Richard Maurer could have chosen a new vote, which would have allowed every registered voter in the two precincts -- 4005 and 4008 -- to fill out a ballot.

A Nevada statute says if an election in a precinct is prevented because of damaged or lost ballots "or any other cause," the city council must order a new election in that precinct. Maurer, however, cited a 1975 Nevada case -- LaPorta vs. Broadbent -- that indicates if voting machines malfunction, a revote can be conducted.

Nevada's election division officials wouldn't comment on the North Las Vegas case because they had little information and received no inquiries.

But Karen Koyne, a specialist with the Federal Election Commission in Washington, said states and local governments are granted a great deal of leeway when it comes to flaws on Election Day. "The federal government doesn't have a lot to say about it, but people go to court over these things all the time," Koyne said. "If enough people oppose it, they can go to court and the court can say this isn't right."

Both city and county election officials acknowledged that the turnout Thursday probably won't be high. After all, it is the voters who are inconvenienced most.

Incumbents Paula Brown and William Robinson ensured their spots on the general election ballot by securing the most votes of the 13 City Council candidates during the primary election. Robinson garnered 2,236 votes, or 21 percent, and Brown collected 1,966 votes, about 19 percent.

Shari Buck received 1,419 votes for the third spot and would not be affected by the revote unless all of the 561 voters invited back to the polls showed up and none supported Buck.

Not only do the residents have to return to the polls, but officials expect they are also receiving a concentrated dose of campaigning from Long and Blake.

County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax said his office has sold dozens of copies of the list that includes the names of residents eligible to vote.

"Those people will get a lot of attention," Lomax said. "We'll see how many feel inspired enough to go vote again and who will not."