November 8, 2005 City 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., and 3 p.m.  Precinct by precinct turnout will be posted at these times.

Election Hours

All precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. except Oxford, which will be open from noon to 8 p.m.

Returns

We will post a grand totals page listing all races (contested and uncontested).  Sample with zero results

We will also post precinct by precinct results for the following contested races in cities with multiple polling places.  Links are to samples with zero results.

• Iowa City: At Large, Electric Utility issues
• North Liberty: Mayor, Council 

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Sample pages with zero results will be posted before Election Day.  If these pages do not display in your browser, please contact our office.

When will results be available?

Early voting results will be posted promptly at 8 p.m.  After 8 p.m. we will enter and update returns as quickly as they are phoned in from the 41 polling places.  Once all precincts have called in, results will be labeled "Preliminary Final Results."

Results on Cable TV

Results will be available on Iowa City Cable TV beginning at 8 p.m.  We will post a list of precincts reporting and rotating totals in contested races:

• Iowa City: At Large, Electric Utility issues
• Coralville: Library Board Membership
• Hills: Mayor
• North Liberty: Mayor, Council
• Solon: Council
• Tiffin: Council
• University Heights: Library Funding

View Results at Auditor's Office

Results will be displayed for the public at the County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque St., beginning at 8 p.m.  Visitors will see the same display as cable viewers.

Number of Precincts

There are 42 precincts in this election.  This includes 41 election day polling places, plus early voting which is counted as a separate precinct.

Number of precincts by contest and city:

• Iowa City, all contests: 26 precincts (25 polling places plus absentee).  All Iowa City voters will be able to vote in both the at large and District B contests.
• Coralville: 7 precincts (6 polling places plus absentee)
• North Liberty: 3 precincts (2 polling places plus absentee)
• All other cities: 2 precincts (1 polling place plus absentee)

Write-In Results

In Oxford, Shueyville, and Swisher, the number of council seats available is greater than the number of candidates on the ballot, and at least one winner will be determined by write-in votes.  In addition, there have been news reports of write-in candidacies in Lone Tree and North Liberty.

Write-ins must be hand-counted by our pollworkers, and initial reports will only list the total number of write-in votes cast.  Once the poll workers have returned their supplies to our office, we will verify and release write-in results.  These results will not appear on cable TV or the lobby display, but will be posted on the web site.

For other cities, the web site will be updated on election night in the event that a write-in candidate wins more votes than a candidate listed on the ballot.  Scattered write-in votes not determining the outcome of a contest will be reviewed in the days following the election.  In the event a write-in earns more than 2 percent of the vote, that person will be included in the final canvass of votes and listed on the web site.

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 November 8th.

Vote totals may change in the days following the election as special ballots and late arriving absentee ballots with timely postmarks are counted.

All election results are unofficial until the official canvass of votes, conducted by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, November 15.  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