(Cass Co) Cass County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections Kathy Somers has announced the results of the post-election audit and administrative audit conducted following the June 2, 2026 Primary Election.
Under Iowa law, post-election audits are mandatory to verify the accuracy of election equipment. After Election Day, the Secretary of State’s office selects the precinct and races to be audited at random. For the June 2 Primary Election, the West Massena Township/City of Massena precinct and the U.S. Senate and Auditor of State races were selected. The postelection audit held June 5th confirmed the accuracy of the election night ballot count, matching the original results with 100% accuracy.
An additional administrative audit was conducted on June 8th for the Atlantic Ward 3 precinct as required by Iowa Code §50.50 and Iowa Administrative Code 721—21.25. The audit was initiated by the county auditor after precinct officials identified a discrepancy during the election night canvass.
The precinct ballot scanner recorded 118 ballots cast, while election records indicated 119 ballots had been distributed to voters, were accounted for by signed voter declarations of eligibility, and were secured in the scanner at the close of polls.
The Cass County Board of Supervisors authorized the county auditor to conduct an administrative audit of the ballots. During the audit, the audit board rescanned all Atlantic Ward 3 ballots. The rescan produced a count that matched the physical ballot total recorded by election officials on election night. No indication was found as to why the scanner did not tabulate one ballot during the initial count.
The administrative audit confirmed that one ballot had not been included in the initial machine tabulation. The addition of that ballot did not change the outcome of any contest. Each race on the ballot received one additional vote, and no candidate nominations were affected. The unofficial election results were updated to reflect the corrected totals before the Board of Supervisors conducted the official canvass and certified the election results.
Auditor Somers expressed appreciation to all who contributed to the election process, including those who served as Precinct Election Officials at the polling location, members of the absentee board, the post-election audit board, and the auditor’s office staff for their dedication and commitment to conducting a secure, accurate, and lawful election.
