Nov 17, 2015 3 min read

Exactly two weeks after the general election, 18 provisional ballots were finally counted Tuesday to determine the winner of the third seat on the Washington County board of commissioners.

While Republican challenger Mike McCormick picked up three votes, it was not enough to oust incumbent Democrat Harlan Shober, who won by a mere 35 votes. Sean Logue, one of McCormick’s attorneys, said the Peters Township resident does not plan to appeal the count. “He does not want to drag this process out. He wants Washington County to continue to be open for business,” Logue said.

“I’ve been honored to have many people supporting me. … My heart aches a little bit for them that we did not come up victorious. We all want the victory at the end of our hard work, but often times, that isn’t the case,” McCormick said. “Harlan is a godly man and a great citizen and a wonderful servant of Washington County. I applaud him. He’s been gracious and a very good competitor.”

Both Shober and McCormick praised the Washington County elections board for its efforts.

”I think it’s a testimony to our system that those votes that were in dispute were treated with special care and with significance,” McCormick said. “Our election board demonstrated their belief that every vote that’s properly cast should be counted.”

Shober said the close contest supports the adage that every vote counts. He said he is pleased with the outcome and anxious to get back to work.

“Washington County is doing well, but there’s a lot more areas where we can do better.”

He prioritized plans for the county, including continuing to work with the district attorney’s office to combat illegal drug use, economic development, job creation and working with police departments to keep residents safe.

Logue expressed frustration with the way absentee ballots are handled in the county.

The race is the first in the county affected by the provisional ballots that took effect in 2004 in the wake of the hotly contested George W. Bush-Al Gore presidential race.

At the precinct level, prospective voters not listed on the roll of registered voters can be given a provisional ballot. If the voter is deemed eligible, the ballot can be counted.

In the 14 days since votes were cast, uncertainty persisted as the advantage wavered between the candidates.

Shober led in returns through election night, but the race took a turn shortly before 11:30 p.m. when 13 precincts – including one in McCormick’s home community – were tabulated. At the end of the night, McCormick was ahead by 67 votes.

That Thursday, after Washington County President Judge Katherine Emery denied a request by Logue to delay the count of absentee ballots, Shober pulled ahead by 36 votes, but 121 provisional ballots were not yet tabulated. Logue claimed the chain of custody of the absentee ballots had to be determined to ensure no fraud occurred.

Shober held a 38-vote advantage when unchallenged provisional ballots were counted Nov. 9. He maintained a 35-vote lead in Tuesday’s count of 18 challenged provisional ballots. McCormick had until the close of business Monday to appeal to Washington County Court for a ruling, but did not.

Securing his second term, Shober will join fellow incumbents Larry Maggi, a Democrat, and Republican Diana Irey Vaughan.