This Finding counters claims that Osage County’s 2023 hand count failed, showing it saved $16,000.
Myth: Hand Counted Election in Osage County Did Not Go Well
In April 2023, Osage County, Missouri, conducted a successful hand-counted election, a process that unfolded smoothly and garnered praise for its transparency and reduced costs. Despite this achievement, a ‘letter to the editor’ from the former County Clerk was published, presenting a detailed yet misleading narrative that casts doubt on the hand count’s efficiency and accuracy. Strikingly, this opinion piece stands alone as the sole critique, unsupported by independent news articles or verifiable evidence, suggesting its claims are more a product of preference for machine tabulation than a reflection of the election’s true outcome.
The ‘letter to the editor’ — an opinion piece — was published on May 10, 2023, in Osage County’s local newspaper, the Unterrified Democrat, which boasts an estimated circulation of approximately 2,800. Unlike a reported article, this opinion piece lacked journalistic oversight — no questions were asked, no statements verified, and no interviews were conducted to capture diverse perspectives, particularly opposing views.
While its initial reach might seem limited to fewer than 3,000 readers, the piece’s influence extended far beyond its modest readership. Within a day of publication, copies were emailed to every county clerk in Missouri and, it appears, to every Secretary of State across the United States. This swift, targeted distribution transformed a small-town opinion into a statewide — and potentially national — conversation, amplifying its unverified claims far beyond Osage County’s borders.
If the Clerk Makes the Claim, Doesn’t That Make It True?
Sorting fact from fiction in the May 10th, 2023, opinion piece requires distinguishing truths from untruths, accuracies from inaccuracies. The line between them often hinges on intent — or the lack of evidence to back a claim. Consider the assertion that the hand-counted April 2023 election cost more than prior machine-tabulated elections. Our team requested financial reports to verify this cost analysis, only to be told none existed; the clerk had simply skimmed the ‘dailies’ (invoice logs) and tallied a rough total on a calculator. Yet, a county commissioner publicly contradicted this, thanking the hand-count effort for saving Osage County $16,000 — a discrepancy that undercuts the piece’s narrative.
Click the PDF icon to read the complete Findings document.
See the one-pager Osage County Proves Hand Counting Success.
Date:
2025-03-29
eManual Section:
9
eManual Section Title:
Myth-Debunking Workbook
eManual SubSection Title:
Finding: Osage County Election Proves Success of Hand Counting Method
eManual page number:
293
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