Election officials miscounted LaVista Hills cityhood vote

DeKalb elections officials added 41 votes countywide Monday that they had overlooked when they certified the election three days ago, changing the vote count in the LaVista Hills cityhood referendum that's already under investigation by state officials.

The margin of defeat for LaVista Hills grew as a result, with the city effort falling short by 139 votes instead of 136 votes. The previously uncounted votes were all on provisional ballots, which are cast when there are questions about a voter’s eligibility.

Elections Director Maxine Daniels said the votes weren’t misplaced or lost, but election officials neglected to include them in Friday’s vote tabulation.

“We were aware of them — they just weren’t in that tabulation,” Daniels said. “I can’t even explain how it happened. … I take responsibility for it as the director. There were a lot of things happening and we didn’t follow our procedures and get it right.”

The DeKalb Board of Registrations and Elections met Monday morning and recertified the vote results.

LaVista Hills Alliance, a pro-cityhood group, announced Saturday it may contest the election in court. The group is also seeking information from voters who believe they should have been able to participate in the election.

Of the 41 previously uncounted provisional ballots countywide, 19 of them were in the LaVista Hills area. Of those, 11 residents voted no and eight voted yes for LaVista Hills to become a city.