Floyd Co. Auditor’s Office Discovers Ballot Error in Advance of Tuesday’s Elections

The Floyd County Auditor’s Office has discovered a ballot error in advance of the November 3rd Election Day.

In a statement, Auditor Morrigan Montagne says, “An error occurred in the preparation of the 2026 General Election ballot involving the To Fill a Vacancy (TFV) Water and Soil Conservation District Commissioner contests. Specifically, a race for the TFV single‑member seat was inadvertently omitted. The two candidates who submitted the required paperwork—one for the open two‑seat contest and one for the single TFV seat—were both mistakenly listed under the two‑seat race, resulting in the absence of the separate TFV single‑seat contest on the ballot.”

Montagne notes that, under the governing statute (§161A.5), vacancies for those positions may only appear on a General Election ballot, and state law provides no mechanism for holding a special election to fill such a vacancy. As a result, the position that was omitted from the ballot will be filled by appointment following the election.

Montagne says her office “takes this matter extremely seriously” and adds that, at this stage in the election process, there is no lawful remedy available to correct the ballot before Election Day.

Montagne says, “the Auditor’s Office is conducting a full review of ballot preparation procedures to strengthen safeguards and help ensure such an error does not occur in future election cycles. We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and the integrity of the electoral process.”