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ong>Ogden's next mayor will remain a mystery until Tuesday

OGDEN -- The official winner in Ogden's tight mayoral race won't be known until absentee ballots are counted Tuesday, says Weber County Election Administrator Gloria Berrett.

Tallying absentee ballots will be the final step in determining whether Mayor Matthew Godfrey, who holds a 181-vote lead over challenger and City Councilwoman Susan Van Hooser, wins a third term.

There were 1,175 absentee ballots issued in Ogden for Tuesday's general election, Berrett said. About 884 of those ballots have been returned for counting.

In addition, at least 500 provisional ballots from throughout the county remain to be counted, Berrett said.

All vote totals will be finalized in time for certification Tuesday by the Ogden City Board Canvass, made up of the city council, she said.

The task of determining final ballot results began Wednesday morning as county election officials began the painstaking task of comparing voter registration signatures with signatures collected at polling places, Berrett said.

Election officials will begin today to determine whether those who cast provisional ballots are properly registered, meet residency requirements and voted at the correct precinct, Berrett said.

Absentee ballots will be tallied starting around noon Tuesday. The ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 5 in order to be counted.

Godfrey said he's anxiously awaiting the official voting results. "We would like to have it finalized to see what the final numbers are and how everything shakes out," he said.

Van Hooser said she's in no hurry to have the votes tallied and wants them counted correctly. "I want to make sure that all Ogden voters who wanted to vote had a chance to vote," she said.

Weber County Clerk/Auditor Alan D. McEwan, who oversees the county's election operations, said he is sympathetic to the desire of some voters to have ballots counted quickly.

However, the county has a responsibility to make sure proper procedures are followed, he said.

In addition to the mayoral race, the final tally could affect the outcome of the close race between Sheila Aardema and Blain Johnson for the Ogden City Council's at-large seat A.

Aardema holds an 18-vote lead over Johnson, according to unofficial results.

It's unusual for provisional and absentee ballots to play such a pivotal role in determining the outcome of an election, McEwan said.

Tuesday's election produced an inordinate number of provisional ballots because numerous people were challenged over their residency when they went to the polls, he said.

McEwan said he believes the voter challenge law is rarely used.

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