Out of more than 14,000 votes counted, a tax to support the Lincoln County Veterans Service Office has officially passed, by a mere 13 votes.
According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, mandatory hand recounts occur when the initial margin is less than one-fifth of one percent, and the Veterans Service Center vote qualified, with an initial vote total of 7,029 "yes" votes and 7,014 "no" votes.
Over three days, the Lincoln County Clerk’s office conducted a painstaking hand recount, and determined the actual result to be 7,028 "yes" votes and 7,015 "no" votes. That tiny discrepancy did change the closely scrutinized tally, but not the outcome of the election.
Yet even for a nonpartisan special election, skeptical voter inquiries compelled County Clerk Amy Southwell to setup a video recount observation area. Like clerks across the nation, Southwell has been under greater scrutiny with unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, especially regarding mail-in voting.
“The more of the process that people can see, hopefully more of the trust comes back," Southwell told KLCC. "Because that has gone down in the last few years. It's hard for someone like me who puts their life into making sure that our integrity matters and everything is transparent."
The Veterans Service Center tax will begin in 2026 and be collected for five years. The levy is estimated to raise $1.8 million for the Veterans Service Office and cost the average Lincoln County property taxpayer around $8.60 a year.
Voter turnout was 35%.
