MATTHEW BROWN

Associated Press writer

SHERIDAN - A nonbinding review of November's U.S. House race in Sheridan County has confirmed Republican Rep. Barbara Cubin's narrow victory over Democrat Gary Trauner.

The two-day hand review of more than 11,000 ballots turned up only six ambiguous votes that had not been counted by electronic election machines.

County officials said Tuesday the results confirmed the accuracy of the machines and the integrity of Wyoming's election system. The state purchased new voting machines for counties last year.

The three Democrats who sought the recount said they had hoped in part to expose problems that would prompt the state Legislature to rewrite election laws. Official hand recounts are not allowed under Wyoming law.

Cubin and Trauner could not be reached immediately for comment.

The "document review," as county officials insisted on calling the effort, yielded the same results as the original tally except for six ballots that were improperly filled out. Cubin captured 5,883 votes in Sheridan County and Trauner 5,255.

"We know the machines do what they're supposed to do," said Sheridan County Attorney Matt Redle. Referring to the ambiguous votes, he added, "Sometimes the voters don't vote properly, but the machines do work."

Of the six ambiguous ballots, four appeared to be for Cubin, and one each for Trauner and Thomas Rankin, the Libertarian candidate.

Even if the votes had been counted, it would have done little to alter Cubin's statewide margin of victory over Trauner - 1,012 votes out of 193,369 cast.

However, Redle said the six likely would have been rejected by election judges just as the machines had rejected them.

The ballot review was initiated by a public records request from three Trauner supporters in Sheridan, who said they were satisfied with the results but continued to insist hand recounts should be allowed in Wyoming.