District 93 bond supporters ask for recount

Advocates for the Bonneville School District’s $56.1 million bond will be requesting a recount.

The Bonneville County Elections Office announced the bond only failed by 17 votes instead of 44 votes, or 17-hundreths of a percent. To qualify for an automatic recount – free of charge – it would have needed to fail by one-tenth of a percent.

The bond would have funded the building of a new high school to alleviate overcrowding in the district.

Supports of the bond are submitting a recount request to the county election clerk. The clerk will then send an impound notice to the sheriff. After that, a recount date will be set.

A representative from the secretary of state’s office will oversee the process, and the Bonneville County prosecutor will be the one to address any discrepancies.
Bond advocates say it will give the district and voters closure.

“With how close it was – 17 votes – we feel like so much has been invested and so much has been put into this we feel like we just need to make sure,” said bond advocate Katie Kress. “We have full confidence in the Bonneville County Elections Office. They do a great job. But just in this situation, I think it requires it.”

The district will not use taxpayer money or district funds, as the advocate group for the bond has offered to pay for it.