MINOT, ND ( KXNET ) — Last week, voting officials in Ward County were looking over more than 200 ballots. Board members were reviewing the race recount results of five city park races, and planned to draw names in the event of a tie.

For instance, in the Berthold City Park Board race, there was a nine-way tie. So, they drew winners for the four-year terms. Randy Kunz, Tyrel Hanson, and Ryan Store- won. When it came to the two-year Berthold City Park board members, Patricia Deaver and Alicia Debuild were the winners.

As far as the recount for the Surrey City Park four-year terms, Travis Dalby, Derek Brown, and Ethan Carter were elected. There was one winner for the unexpired term in Surrey, Steve Johnson.

However, some of those who won these races weren’t even on the ballot in the first place. Ryder’s City Park Board only had two candidates win, so officials drew for a third, and Marlene Ottesen took on that role.

“In this case,” explained Ward County Auditor and Treasurer Marisa Haman, “they were written in, so sometimes the candidates don’t know they are candidates when someone writes them in on a race like this. So we do send them out a letter letting them know that they were a write-in candidate, and if they don’t want to be in that position, they can come to this recount board meeting, and in writing, submit they want to withdraw from the race.”

Haman says the write-in winners have to withdraw before the board members draw names in case of a tie, and that the next step would be to contact the auditor’s office in their town.

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