Number of absentee ballots rejected by election board

Pulaski County Election Board members met on June 11 to discuss the steps to officially close the June 2 primary. 
As part of the meeting, the board discussed what went well and what improvements need to be made. They also signed off on more than 30 rejected absentee ballots that could not be calculated.
“There are not enough rejected Republican ballots to make any difference in the auditor race,” said election board member and county clerk JoLynn Behny.
The race for auditor was the closest contested race in some time. Republicans Laura Wheeler and Tim Hoffa Jr. were within just a few votes of each other after four of the five voting centers, absentee votes and early voting were tallied. 
Behny said the absentee ballots were rejected because they did not meet the state requirements. The rejected absentee ballots differ from provisional ballots. Provisional ballots allow voters to cast a vote if there is a question about the voter’s qualification to vote in a precinct or voting center. 
The absentee ballots were applied for and mailed to those who are registered in the county but several issues arose such as the absentee ballot not being signed. Two of the absentee ballots were received in the mail after the deadline on election day.