Two County Council Members 'Disappointed,' 'Angry' at Late Vote Count

As election night dragged on, there were no election returns emanating from the Jefferson County Clerk's office, and calls to County Clerk Wes Wagner went unanswered.

The lack of information kept election hopefuls waiting to hear whether they could celebrate or whether they would suffer the agony of defeat.

The situation caused two members of the Jefferson County Council to question the operation of Jefferson County Clerk Wes Wagner's office.

First District Council Member Don Bickowski, although not on the ballot Tuesday, nonetheless was upset about the late returns, which didn't appear on the county clerk's website until after 10:30 p.m.

"I'm pretty angry about it." Bickowski said Tuesday.

Second District County Council Member Renee Reuter, who was on the ballot Tuesday, was equally dismayed with the length of time it took to see the voting results from the county clerk's office.

"I am very disappointed in the delay from the election judges," Reuter said. "Jefferson County should be ashamed."

Bickowski was able to obtain some paper returns Tuesday by driving to the county clerk's office in Hillsboro. He vowed to look into the operation of the office so that future election night delays do not occur.

Wagner was was unable to be reached Wednesday about the reason for the delayed returns.