Liveblogging From The Kanawha County Vote Canvass

I'm heading to the Kanawha County clerk's voter registration office, as The Associated Press covers the day-long, precinct-by-precinct audit of the results from Saturday's gambling referendum.

This canvass is to include the more than 400 ballots left uncounted from the special election, which saw table games pass by a wafer-thin, unofficial 33 vote margin.

The canvass has been described as "tedious" and an "ordeal." I can't wait to get there...

Update: Besides AP's coverage, WSAZ-TV is offering a live video feed of the canvass.

The commissioners began by setting a baseline tally _ 22,480 "Yes" and 22,420 "No" _ by subtracting early votes that were discovered and counted at the clerk's office Saturday.

That gave Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center a baseline 60-vote margin of victory.

They then checked the ballot boxes and canvass bags from each of the 10 precincts that had failed to count early and absentee votes.

9:30 a.m.: 4 precincts reviewed; 21 "yes" and 52 "no" votes to reduce Tri-State's winning margin to 29 votes.

These 4 precincts challenged 39 ballots: 14 of these provisional ballots will be counted in the canvas, 21 were tossed because the voters weren't registered or showed up at the wrong place.

10 a.m.: One of the two South Hills precincts with uncounted ballots yielded 86 "Yes" and 36 "No" votes, raising the margin to 79 votes.

10:10 a.m.: 8 of 10 precincts reviewed, including both South Hills polling places that together account for more than 300 uncounted ballots, adding 276 "Yes" and 192 "No" votes.

Tri-State's margin: 144 votes.

Of 45 provisional ballots reviewed, 20 validated (but not yet counted) and 25 tossed.

10:30 a.m.: All 10 precincts reviewed.

Added "Yes" votes: 309
Added "No" votes: 225

Table games is passing by 144 votes.

(The Sissonville precinct discovered Monday to have missed ballots actually endorsed table games among its early voters, 33 to 31)

Of 58 provisional ballots reviewed, 28 will be counted and 30 have been tossed. The commissioners will now review the remaining provisional ballots precinct-by-precinct.

12:15 p.m.: The AP updates its online story, to reflect 28 provisional ballots added to the total.

Table games is passing by 146 vote.

The commission has so far reviewed 45 precincts, and 173 provisional ballots. Just under half have been tossed.


1:15 p.m.: The commision has reviewed 58 precincts, one-third of the total, including the entire 1st Magisterial District.

Out of 252 challenged ballots from these precincts, 136 will be counted.

A large error in Precinct 177 (Charleston) has also prompted a recount of its votes.

1:30 p.m.: Voting out of Ruffner Elementary, the 177th precinct appears to have undercounted perhaps 100 of its ballots, Kanawha County Clerk Vera McCormick said. The total reported Saturday is 81 "yes" votes to 56 "no" votes.

The Guessinator 5000 (tm), meanwhile, indicates that the provisional ballots validated so far would increase Tri-State's margin to 151 votes.

(The Guessinator 5000 (tm) was off by 19 votes when it estimated the outcome of the 534 overlooked ballots.)

2:15 p.m.: The canvassed tally for the 1st Magisterial District (one of four districts, with 50 of the 175 precincts) is 5,013 "yes" and 4,961 "no" votes.

Tri-State's margin in that district: 52 votes.

The canvassed tally includes the validated provisional ballots for that district. All told, the commission has reviewed 79 precincts and allowed 186 of 342 challenged ballots to be counted.

2:45 p.m.: Commissioner ordered a recount for a second precinct. No. 254, voting out of Holz Elementary in Charleston, appeared off on its tally by scores of votes. It had been reported Saturday as 150 "yes" votes and 143 "no votes.

The commission has reviewed 91 of 175 precinct, or just over half the total. Out of 380 provisional ballots reviewed, 203 will be counted.

3:34 p.m.: The recount of No. 254 shows that election workers wrote down the wrong "yes" total _ 150 votes instead of 255 votes. That increases Tri-State's margin to 251 votes.

4 p.m. The canvassed tally for the 2nd Magisterial District (second of four districts, with 47 of the 175 precincts): 7,219 yes to 5,720 no.

Tri-State's margin in that district: 1,499 votes.

5:15 p.m.: The commission has finished reviewing the 40 precincts of the 3rd Magisterial District. All told, it will count about half of the 639 provisional ballots examined so far.

6 p.m.: The canvassed totals, with 36 precincts yet to check: 23,137 yes to 22,813 no.

Tri-State's margin: 324 votes.

There are still a number of provisional ballots to count, and also a number still to review. The recount from the other Charleston precinct are also pending.

The Guessinator 5000 (tm) is starting to fry some circuits, but it appears that 714 provisional ballots have been examined, and 355 validated.


6:30 p.m.: The commission has finished its review of provisional ballots from the remaining precincts. While black, churning smoke is rising visibly out of the Guessinator 5000 (tm), it appears that the commission examined nearly 800 challenged ballots and validated more than 400 of them.

The final tally and correct provisional ballots #s are forthcoming.

6:45 p.m.: Final, certified results:

Yes: 23,192
No: 22,849

Tri-State prevails by: 343 votes.

The results will be published at a commission meeting Tuesday. Opponents then have 48 hours to request a recount.

AP reports on the certified outcome, and talks to opponents about their possible next step.