Retabulation Underway in Montana

Tester Maintains Slight Lead Over Incumbent Republican Senator

By Howard Schneider

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 8, 2006; 9:06 AM

Montana elections officials worked through the night sorting out a closely fought race that could determine control of the U.S. Senate, with software problems forcing a retabulation in one key county and equipment problems prompting a hand analysis of several hundred ballots.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Democratic challenger Jon Tester maintained a slight lead of about 1,500 votes over incumbent Republican Sen. Conrad Burns, the Associated Press reported.

In Yellowstone County, which includes Burns's hometown of Billings, software problems led officials -- with the consent of both parties -- to retabulate the vote, said Brock Lowrance, communications director for the state Republican Party.

Election officials in Flathead County, meanwhile, decided to do a manual count and analysis of up to 500 ballots that had been damaged by voting machines, Lowrance said. An election panel is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (3 p.m. EST) to begin that process.

Results from Silverbow County and its county seat of Butte -- another major population center, this one considered to lean Democratic -- and two other locations were also late in reporting.

The outcomes in Montana and Virginia will determine with Republicans retain control of the Senate, or whether Democrats take control of the upper chamber as well.

The count in both states will be closely watched.

"We need to make sure that every vote is counted. We've typically done well with absentee ballots -- let's see what happens," said Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman.

Both parties in Montana, analyzing the votes outstanding and those yet to be counted, felt well positioned to win.

"I think we are in really good shape," Tester said in an interview aired on CNN.

"There is a lot out there and it is still very close," said Lowrance. "We are still feeling pretty good."