State certifies primary election results, including one victory by 2 votes

DES MOINES — Iowa’s June 7 primary election results — including one statehouse campaign that was decided by a mere two votes — are official after being certified Friday by a state panel.

The state canvass board — which is comprised of the governor, Iowa Secretary of state, and state auditor, treasurer and agriculture secretary — officially certified the statewide primary election results.

In one primary election for the Iowa Senate, Republican Charlie McClintock won by just two votes after a recount in new District 42, which includes most of Benton County, except its northwest corner.

The results were certified without discussion, a state spokesperson said

“We have the second-highest turnout in Iowa history for a midterm primary election. I’d like to congratulate Iowans for turning out in strong numbers, and our election officials across the state for ensuring a clean, smooth election,” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, the state’s top elections official, said in a statement emailed to the bureau. “We will continue to protect the integrity of the vote and help all Iowans be a voter this November.”

More than 356,000 votes were cast in the primary elections, which was the second-highest primary turnout since 1994, according to Pate’s office.

The roughly 73,000 absentee votes cast were the second-most for a primary in state history.

Gazette Des Moines Bureau