While not a surprise, it's official: Dixie Thompson is the Republican candidate in the 3rd Congressional District following a recount Tuesday of more than 31,000 votes cast a week ago.
Provo businessman Tom Draschil accepts the recount, and so will end his campaign.Thompson's slim 156-vote lead on election night stretched to 185 as the 18 counties in the district recounted yesterday. The lieutenant governor's office tallied the county recounts and gave the final, official total as 15,891 for Thompson, 15,706 for Draschil.
"We've been concerned all along about 1,200 ballots in Utah County where one or more votes were disqualified because people crossed over," said Draschil. Utah County was Draschil's stronghold. He carried the county 7,904 to 4,329 votes, the recount shows.
"We accept the recount - we knew that under the guidelines from the lieutenant governor's office that there wouldn't be much difference (from Tuesday's original count)," he said. "There's nothing for us to do unless the lieutenant governor's office changes the guidelines on cross-over ballots."
That won't happen. Utah has an open primary system. Any registered voter can vote in any party's primary - and all candidates are listed on ballots. But you can only vote in one party primary, and that wasn't understood by many voters, Draschil said.
Unfortunately for Draschil, a number of Utah County voters wrongly voted in both Republican, Democratic and/or Independent Party primaries. And their ballots were disqualified.
Draschil's problem probably won't happen in 1996. New election law will allow political parties to hold closed primaries that year - keeping out voters who aren't registered as a member of their party. Most likely, voters in the 1996 primary election will have to ask for a Republican, Democratic or Independent Party ballot - and will be given only that party's ballot - and so won't get a chance to foul up and vote in two party primaries, as some did this year.
"I've said all along that I'd support Dixie if she won. And I will. I won't sue anybody over this," said Draschil of the ballot counting.
Thompson now faces Democratic Rep. Bill Orton. "We need to defeat Orton, and I'll help at that," said Draschil.
Thompson starts the race against Orton way down in the polls. But the district is heavily Republican, and Thompson, an Emery County commissioner, vows a hard fight.
Draschil said he ends the primary campaign in debt. "When all the bills come in, we probably owe about $20,000 - not bad as far as congressional races down here (in the 3rd District) go."