The numbers continue to add up.
Ballot counting continues in the offices of Lake County’s Registrar of voters. With 28 days allotted for the official canvass period, it is unlikely 2016 election results will be certified until mid-December.
According to Lake County Registrar Diane Fridley, the lengthy canvass — or counting period — is mandated by state law to ensure confidence in the integrity of final results. There are many checks and balances when certifying the election results.
As a rule, Lake County does not update results between the unofficial election night results and the final certified results of the election.
“We do not interrupt the careful steps that we take during the Canvass to release interim unofficial results,” Fridley’s office reported in a media statement.
The county received 5,238 vote by mail ballots by Nov. 7. Another 3,218 vote by mail ballots were dropped off at polls on election day. Then there were ballots postmarked on or before Nov. 8 and received within the designated time frame and ballots collected at polling stations — a grand total of 11,991.
Fridley’s office released two initial reports, the first on election night with a follow up on Nov. 9. That leaves candidates and voters playing a necessary waiting game.
“Interim unofficial results have no bearing on the final outcome of the races and contests,” the Registrar’s statement said. “Only final certified results will impact the races and contests.”
