June 8, 2004 Primary Election
Guide to Election Night Returns

Links to returns and turnout will be placed directly on our home page www.jcauditor.com.

Turnout Updates

Precincts report turnout at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.  Precinct by precinct turnout will be posted after each of these reporting times.  A breakdown of turnout by party will not be available until after the polls close.

Returns on web site

We will post a summary with totals for all Democratic and Republican races, contested and uncontested.  Sample with zero results

We will also post precinct by precinct results for the contested Democratic races for Board of Supervisors and sheriff.  Sample with zero results  (This file is large and may load slowly)  The Republican primary has no contested races.  The Green Party lost party status after the 2002 general election and will not have a primary in 2004.

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Returns on cable TV

Returns will be broadcast on Iowa City cable TV channel 5 from 9 to 11 p.m.

View results at our office

Results will be displayed at the County Administration Building beginning at 9 p.m.  Visitors will see the same display as cable viewers.

When will results be available?

Early voting results will be posted promptly at 9 p.m.  After 9 p.m. we will enter and update returns as quickly as they are phoned in from the 57 polling places.  Once all precincts have called in, results will be labeled "Preliminary Final Results."

Number of Precincts

The total number of precincts for Johnson County in primary elections is 58.  There are 57 polling places, and early ballots are counted as a separate precinct.

The supervisor and sheriff contests both include all 58 precincts.

Percentage for 35% Threshold

The Code of Iowa (43.52) states that a candidate must win 35% to win a party nomination.  In the Democratic primary for Board of Supervisors, eight candidates are seeking three nominations.  If one or more of the top three candidates is below 35%, a party convention will determine the remaining nomination(s). 

To determine the 35% threshold, the Code specifies a formula based on votes cast:

• votes for the candidate / ((votes for all candidates plus write ins)/(number of seats to be nominated))

In contests to nominate or elect multiple candidates, our office has traditionally reported the percentage of voters supporting the candidate using the following formula:

• votes for the candidate / number of voters participating in the contest

On this website, percentages in the Democratic contest for the Board of Supervisors will be reported using BOTH formats for grand totals and the percentage of voters formula for results by precinct.

Due to space and time constraints, percentages on the cable TV and public display will use the percentage of voters formula.  However, candidates will not be listed in bold and yellow (the format indicating a leader or apparent winner) unless they are both in the top three AND are above 35% using the percentage of votes formula.

When are the results final?

Once the poll workers have returned their supplies to our office, our staff will review the printouts from the voting machines and make any corrections.  Once all corrections are made, results will include the heading "Verified Preliminary Final Results."  These will be the last returns posted on June 8th.

Vote totals may change slightly in the days following the election as provisional ballots (formerly called special ballots) and late arriving absentee ballots with timely postmarks are counted.

All election results are unofficial until the canvass of votes, conducted by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 15th at 1 p.m..  Following the canvass, results will include the heading "Final Official Results."  These results will remain on our site permanently as a historic record.  Past Election Returns