Phillips County 2020 election results are official

Results of Phillips County ballots from the Nov. 3 general election were deemed official Friday, Nov. 20, according to Phillips County Clerk and Recorder Beth Zilla.

Zilla noted that no local nor county candidate election nor local ballot issue results changed from the unofficial results which were reported on election night.

If any unofficial projected results of statewide issues change, that will be reported in a future edition of The Holyoke Enterprise.

Likewise, when the presidential election is official, that will be reported as well. The initial outcome of the presidential race was reported in this paper on how the election was called on Nov. 7.

Explaining the election process, Zilla said that smaller counties hold back at least 15 ballots in the election night tabulation to be counted with the small number of provisional ballots that could be returned in the following eight days.

Among the provisional ballots are those that need signature verification or other identification. Holding an additional 15 ballots assures the confidentiality of the handful of provisional ballot votes.

Those remaining ballots were run by Zilla and her staff Friday, Nov. 13.

In 2017, Colorado began conducting a risk limiting audit after each election. In an RLA, bipartisan teams of judges in each county compare the cast vote record from the Dominion scanners to randomly selected paper ballots.

A Republican and Democratic election judge conducted Phillips County’s RLA on Monday, Nov. 16. Zilla noted that more actual ballots are compared when there are tight ballot issues. Phillips County was required to audit only 31 randomly selected ballots.

Each county conducts its RLA and enters the outcome in the computer to submit to the state. Because the match wasn’t complete statewide, a Round 2 RLA was required Thursday, Nov. 19.

Phillips County was not required to participate in the Round 2 RLA. Zilla said she was notified by the secretary of state’s office Friday, Nov. 20, that the Phillips County vote could be canvassed and deemed official.