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STANTON - Mercer County residents will be receiving new, corrected ballots in their vote-by-mail general election to replace previous ballots that were missing a candidate.
Shana Brost, county auditor, said she learned Friday that Charles Tuttle of Minot, an independent candidate for the U.S. House, was not on the ballot mailed out to 2,600 voters.
According to the Secretary of State's Office, Tuttle submitted his filing petitions on the afternoon of the final filing day, which led to a last-minute change in the ballot before certification the next day. Mercer County inadvertently downloaded the uncertified state ballot through the Secretary of State's Office, which went to the printer with Tuttle's late addition overlooked.
Brost said the county has new ballots on a rush order with the printer, and they should arrive by Thursday or Friday.
"Everybody that has gotten a ballot thus far will get new ballots," Brost said. Of the 2,600 ballots sent, the county so far has received about 800 voted ballots back.
She said the voted ballots will be set aside as voided. Voters will find red stars affixed to their new voter affidavit envelopes, and only ballots arriving in these envelopes will be counted.
Residents are being notified of the circumstances through their local newspapers, on the county website and in information included with the new ballots that go out. The voters whose already returned ballots are being discarded will be contacted by phone if they don't return the second ballots. Brost said the phone calls would be to make sure they understand they need to return the new ballots or vote in person.
Voters also have an option to vote in Beulah at the single polling place to be open on election day, Nov. 6.
Brost said the new ballots cost about $2,500 and postage about $1,700.