Who would have thought that a controversy could arise over an election for a Precinct Committeeman?  But that’s just what’s happening in some areas of the Magic Valley.  In one specific case one candidate for precinct committeeman has mailed what are labeled as a “sample Republican Primary Election Ballot” to residents leading voters to think it is an official sample ballot, complete with the yellow shading of the paper. 

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But Tom Billington, who is running for that position, says his name does not appear on that “supposed” sample ballot…but it does contain the name of his Republican opponent, Carter Killinger.  That has Billington upset.  Billington told KLIX News that he has spent over 19 man hours answering phone calls and making personal visits to voters in his precinct to explain to them that he is indeed a candidate.  He said he got a call from one voter who was particularly upset because she thought he was running but didn’t see his name on the so called “sample ballot” that she received in the mail.  Billington said he talked to Prosecutor Grant Loebs who told him while the practice may be unethical or disingenuous, it’s not necessarily illegal.  Official sample ballots provided by the County do not contain any names of candidates of Precinct Committeemen.  County Clerk Kristina Glasscock says it would be too expensive to print the names of all the candidates.  Glasscock told the Times News that some of the candidates for that office have been typing in their names for that position and leaving their opponents off the sample.   Glasscock said all candidates names will appear on the officials ballots in their precincts.

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