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Kiowa County completes recount in Republican Secretary of State race

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PICT - Kiowa County Press Icon
Chris Sorensen

Monday, Kiowa County election officials completed a recount of election ballots for the Republican primary in the Secretary of State’s race, finding no differences from the total after election night, June 28.

Indicted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters has paid around $250,000 for a state-wide recount, despite losing by more than 80,000 votes across Colorado in the June primary race to receive the Republication nomination.

Peters fell short by 12 votes in Kiowa County, receiving 177 votes, while Mike O’Donnell received 189 votes.

Third place in Kiowa County went to Pam Anderson, who received 128 votes. Statewide, however, Anderson received the majority of votes from those casting ballots in the Republican primary, and will face Democrat incumbent Jena Griswold in the November 8 general election.

Across Colorado, Anderson received 210,045 votes, or 43.9 percent of the total. O’Donnell received 29.2 percent, or 139,602 votes for second place, while Peters placed third with 129,092 votes, representing 27 percent of the total. The total does not equal 100 percent due to rounding.

In Colorado, automatic recounts are triggered when candidates are separated by one-half percent or less of the vote, and may opt to pay for recounts when margins are wider.

Peters, who has made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, is facing several criminal charges for her alleged actions in connection with an election system security breach.

A judge removed Peters from her position as Mesa County's designated election official in May, barring her from overseeing the 2022 Primary and General Elections. Griswold appointed two election advisors, former Mesa County Clerk Sheila Reiner and former Secreatry of State Wayne Williams, in June to assist the county with it primary election process.