PAGE 4A
THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ELECTION
Ballot mix-up results in special election
TOPEKA, Kan. — Local officials aren't expecting an unusual special election in Topeka to result in a lawsuit because it didn't reverse the outcome of a Republican primary for the Kansas House after they certified results Wednesday from a single polling place.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Shawnee County had the limited election Tuesday because some voters at the Light of the World Christian Center received the wrong ballots during the state's Aug. 7 primary election. The church is the voting site for two precincts, one in the 52nd Kansas House District, and the other in the 56th District.
Only the Republican primary in the 52nd District remained in doubt, and the official tally approved by the Shawnee County Commission showed Shanti Gandhi, a Topeka physician, winning by 46 votes over Dick Jones, a retired naval and U.S. State Department officer. Gandhi led the race before the special election, limited to 432 voters who had participated in the Aug. 7 vote at the church.
The results will be reviewed Friday by the State Board of Canvassers, but Gandhi would be declared the winner of the GOP primary in the 52nd District whether votes from the special election are counted or not. The state board comprises the governor, attorney general and secretary of state, and election results aren't official statewide until it certifies them.
"This one, since the results didn't change, it's more than likely not going to court," said Shawnee County Counselor Rich Eckert.
The GOP race in the 52nd House District was one of two unsettled legislative primaries. The other, for the Democratic nomination in the 65th District in the Junction City area, is tied to 206 votes each for candidates Tom Brungardt, of Milford, and Melody Saxton, of Junction City. The State Board of Canvassers must break the tie.
The Topeka ballot mix-up is even less common than a race ending in a tie. Also, Eckert said that while his legal research shows courts have ordered special elections in the past, he could find no case in which county
officials have
But he also noted that state law says county election canvassers must do "what is necessary" to ensure an accurate vote count. County commissioners concluded that certifying the original Aug. 7 results, knowing they were inaccurate, or not counting any ballots from the site of the ballot mix-up, wouldn't be as fair as holding a special election.
"I'm sure state lawmakers will be looking at this," said county Election Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley Deiter.
The county said 243 voters cast ballots in the special election, including some in the 56th District. The final tally in the GOP race in the 52nd District showed Gandhi with 1,529 votes to 1,483 for Jones and 1,117 for a third candidate, Topea attorney Scott Hesse. Results from Aug. 7 had Gandhi 41 votes ahead; without votes from the site of the ballot mix-up, he led by 45 votes.
Gandhi would face Democrat Ted Ensley, a Shawnee County commissioner who didn't participate in decisions about the special election.
Eckert said he's hoping the State Board of Canvassers gives local officials some guidance on whether calling a special election was proper but acknowledged that such legal issues are usually left to the courts.
None of the candidates or their supporters attended the county commission's meeting Wednesday.
"We're probably not going to get our answer to that question," Eckert. "It hardly ever occurs in nature."
Mother enters guilty plea
ARKANSAS CITY, KAN. — A south-central Kansas woman has pleaded guilty in the death of a toddler who drank rust remover in her home.
Two-year-old Davin Manly became fatally ill last October at the Arkansas (ar-KAN-Zuhs) city home of baby sister Jennifer Bowman. Authorities said the rust removed was in a plastic beverage bottle.
KSNW-TV reports (http://bit.ly/RsS-SIV) Bowman pleaded guilty Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter. She had been scheduled for arraignment but entered the plea instead.
Associated Press
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Downtown Flea Market is budget-friendly
EMILY BROWN
ebrown@kansan.com
The Lawrence Flea Market will be open this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The market, held at Eighth and Pennsylvania Streets, is scheduled for the first Saturday of every month, from April through November.
The vendors change each time, but past vendors have sold items ranging from vintage collectibles to used musical instruments.
and music.
Angela Longhurst, owner and coordinator of the flea market, said they try to make the market an event so people will hang around longer. The market will have masseseuses, a face painter
Past vendor Jennifer Ananda said the flea market is perfect for students wanting to find good deals.
"We have some vendors who scour houses that students have moved out of and other locations where they can find really cheap vintage and unique items that would be great for apartments," she said.
affordable.
The prices at the market are negotiable, and Longhurst said they are geared towards a college student's budget.
Annie Matheis, a freshman from Overland Park and a thrift store shopper, said a flea market would make student living more
"A flea market would have everything you would need but for a much more reasonable price," she said.
Longhurst said by being able to interact with the vendors face-toface, buyers can learn more about the history of an object.
"It is a great environment for talking with them about the history of something," she said. "You can ask a person where they got it from or what they know about it. Everyone really loves to sit and chat about things like that."
—Edited by Megan Hinman
"WE'RE HERE to make college easier."
Well, maybe just your banking.
At Commerce Bank, we're working behind the scenes to save you some time and a little money, too. A KU Checking Account helps you:
© 2012 COMMERCE BANCSHARES, INC
- Bank online and on your phone
- Get email alerts to keep track of your account
- Use any Commerce ATM without fees
Use your KU Card to access your Commerce account. It's a whole lot easier than a pop quiz.
We ask, listen and solve
THE
WEATH
Tropic mean:
IAS
Commerce Bank
March 18, 2014
grade
ded i
seven
offici
hole
wate
Re while tem v were street a du
commercebank.com/kucard / 785.864.5846