STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

District 26 Sen. Ron Taylo learned that he has retained his seat in the Idaho Legislature after some late ballot counting.

Taylor woke up the morning after Election Day believing he had lost the election only to learn later that there were still uncounted ballots in Blaine County. The evening after Election Day he learned  that he had beaten his challenger Laurie Lickley for the Senate seat for the second time in a row.

Taylor received 10,319 votes, or 45.6 percent of the votes. Lickley received 9,952 votes or 43.9 percent. And Kala Tate, who was running as an Independent received 2,380 votes.

The late tally was due to a slow turnaround by the Blaine County Clerk’s Office and even led to one of the state’s major newspapers noting that the Republican party had flipped the two Democrat seats in Legislative District 26.

The office blamed limited staffing and a record voter turnout for the delay, noting that counting absentee votes took longer than anticipated. A record high 82 percent of registered voters participated, with more than half of those voters voting early by mail or in person.

"We appreciate the patience and understanding of Blaine County voters and the impacted candidates as we worked diligently to complete our work," Blaine County Clerk Stephen McDougall Graham said. "Our office prioritizes accuracy over speed in our commitment to maintaining trust in our election process and of those we serve." 

Two Jerome Republicans will now represent District 26 in the House. Jerome Republican challenger Mike Pohanka beat incumbent Ned Burns-D, with 11,495 votes or 51.2 percent of the votes. Burns received 10,960 votes or 48.8 percent.

Jack Nelsen-R. of Jerome received 11,497 votes or 51.5 percent, while Hailey resident Chris Hansen-D, making his first run for office, received 10,814 votes or 48.5 percent.