After seven hours of re-counting, there was no change in the 35-vote victory for Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott over Tyler Cooper on Thursday.
The Wagoner County Courthouse’s Room No. 1 served as re-count headquarters.
The total votes and margin of victory remained unchanged. Cooper, who filed for the re-count, lost 4,327 to 4,292 among the 8,619 votes cast.
After the count, all the ballots were returned to the Election Board Office and certified just after 4 p.m.
“I want to give a big thanks to all my supporters,” Elliott said. “I don’t have any ill feelings about my opponent. I wish his family the best.”
It was a bittersweet day for Elliott. A few hours earlier, he was at the County’s Special Meeting announcement that his wife, Judy, had submitted a resignation/retirement statement to the County Commissioners. Elliott filed the notice by email since she is still recovering from an early August wreck in Coweta.
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Samantha Call, Election Board Secretary, was pleased by the way her staff managed the count. This was the first re-count for Call, her staff and 17 precinct officials who helped.
“We had a quick training session and it worked like a charm,” Call said. “I trust the (counting) process and it works.”
There was one person watching the count in Judge Doug Kirkley’s courtroom who disagreed with it. The person claimed to have found 18 absentee ballots not counted.
There is a process and deadline to meet for contested ballots, Call explained. The person did not meet either requirement and her paperwork was ruled “invalid.”
Call added, “I extend my gratitude to our district attorney, the Wagoner County Sheriff's Office, my office staff, Wagoner County Maintenance and our precinct officials for their invaluable assistance throughout this process. Notably, we recounted the actual ballots cast by voters, demonstrating the reliability of our system.
“While I'm pleased with outcome, I acknowledge the significant cost incurred by my department — approximately $2,000, after the petitioner's deposit (of $1,800 was included). However, I firmly believe that the accuracy of our election system is priceless.”
