Final results from Flathead County’s primary election await Monday’s review of provisional ballots.

With about 100 ballots considered provisional, the outcome of the tight District 3 county commissioner race could change.

Just 15 votes separate Republicans Gary Krueger and Jay Scott in that race. Krueger finished with 3,636 votes and 26.71 percent of votes cast; Scott tallied 3,621 votes or 26.6 percent.

The 15-vote margin would allow Scott to request a recount, but Flathead County Clerk Paula Robinson and Elections Supervisor Monica Eisenzimer say a recount can’t be requested before the provisional ballots are reviewed. The review starts at 3 p.m. Monday at the Expo Building at the county fairgrounds.

Although state law indicates a candidate must request a recount within five days of the official canvass of votes, both Robinson and Eisenzimer say a recount request is to be made after provisional ballots are counted. If there is a recount, the two women say, the county is not required to conduct a post-election audit. An official canvass would still occur, either way, they said.

State law allows a recount to be requested if a candidate loses by a margin of less than 1/4th of 1 percent of the total vote. In the commissioner race, 1/4th of 1 percent equals 49 votes.

Scott said Thursday he hadn’t really thought yet about whether to request a recount.

Obviously, he said, he needs to wait until the provisional ballots are reviewed and counted. Soon after that process is completed Monday, Scott said he will decide what’s next.

“I thought the race would be close,” Scott said. “But it was closer than I even thought.”

Krueger said he intends to wait for final election results before making any decisions about what action he may take regarding a recount.

A candidate who requests a recount, or his or her party, must pay for the recount, Eisenzimer said. She didn’t know what a recount would cost.

In November 2004, a recount of the commissioner District 2 race after the general election cost $1,900. The Flathead County Republican Central Committee paid that fee. The recount resulted in a wider margin of loss for Republican candidate Denise Cofer to Democrat Joe Brenneman.

Eisenzimer said the 100 provisional ballots “is about the same number” of provisional ballots her staff has reviewed after other elections.

There are many reasons for a ballot to be considered provisional, the two women said.

Most commonly, a voter who had requested an absentee ballot failed to return that ballot and shows up at a polling place on Election Day wanting to vote, Robinson said. That voter is allowed to vote, his or her ballot identified as provisional and then records checked to determine if the absentee ballot was returned to ensure the person didn’t vote twice.

Another common reason for deeming a ballot provisional is that a voter moved since the last election without changing his or her address with the clerk’s office, Eisenzimer said. In that case, county employees are checking that the ballot was cast in the proper precinct and that the person voted at only one site.

Robinson said sometimes people can’t provide identification at the polling place so their ballots  are considered provisional. Those voters are told to bring proof of identification to the county before the provisional ballots are reviewed. If they do so, their ballots are counted, Robinson said.

If there is no recount, Robinson said, the county will wait to hear from the Montana secretary of state about which races must be included in a post-election audit.

She has tentatively scheduled that audit for June 18. If that audit occurs, then the official canvass would be June 19, she said. If there is no audit, a date for the canvass hasn’t yet been set.

Voter turnout Tuesday was 33.77 percent, up from 28.37 percent in the 2008 primary election in Flathead County. That translates to 19,510 of the 57,776 registered voters in the county casting ballots.

There were 10,075 absentee ballots — 51.6 percent of total votes — in Flathead County’s primary election. Statewide, more than 61 percent of votes were cast through absentee ballots, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s Office.

Voter turnout statewide was 37 percent.

Krueger and Scott finished atop a five-candidate Republican race for the District 3 commissioner nomination. Other candidates were Bob Herron, 2,337 votes (17.17 percent); Mike Schlegel, 2,031 votes (14.92 percent); and Terry Kramer, 1,955 votes (14.36 percent).

Also on the primary ballot was a seven-way contest for the Republican District 1 commissioner nomination.

In District 1, interim Commissioner Cal Scott finished first with 2,955 votes (23.21 percent) ahead of Kirk Gentry, 2,733 votes (21.47 percent); Glenn Kolodejchuk, 1,959 votes (15.39 percent); Doug Adams, 1,555 votes (12.22 percent); Michael Shepard, 1,473 votes (11.57 percent); Ben Stormes, 1,305 votes (10.25 percent); Chris Hyatt, 500 votes (3.93 percent); and Rod Bernhardson, 220 votes (1.73 percent).

Hyatt name remained on the ballot even though he withdrew from the race.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.