No change

The provisional ballots cast for the November election won’t change the results of the USD 457 bond issue vote, which appeared Tuesday night to have passed narrowly. The Finney County Clerk’s Office hasn’t actually counted the votes yet (that will happen this afternoon), but it has determined how many of the ballots should be counted — 221.

Without the provisional ballots, the bond issue had appeared Tuesday night to pass with a 4,577-4,354 vote — a difference of 223 votes. But the county had 346 provisional ballots to consider, with some coming from Holcomb residents not eligible to vote on the bond issue.

So even if all 221 of the provisionals to be county are USD 457 residents who voted “no” on the bond issue, it would still pass by two votes.

Doesn’t look like the provisionals will change any other outcome, either, except to break a tie in Greeley County allowing sales of liquor by the drink. McCain still takes Kansas, believe it or not.