Pat McFall Expands Lead in Loveland Mayoral Election Results

Pat McFall has increased his lead over Troy Daniels in the Loveland mayoral election, now standing at a margin of 193 votes. As the Larimer County election office concluded its week-long cure period on Thursday, preliminary results indicated that McFall received a total of 14,839 votes, compared to Daniels’ 14,646, marking a difference of 1.3%. This margin falls outside the threshold for an automatic recount, which requires a difference of 0.5% of the higher vote total, equating to approximately 74 votes.

The race to complete the remaining two years of former Ward 3 representative Erin Black’s term is also nearing its conclusion. Kalina Middleton has a slim lead of 32 votes over Christopher Say, with final tallies showing Middleton at 2,186 votes and Say at 2,154. This margin, slightly under 1.5%, does not trigger an automatic recount, although candidates can request one at their own expense.

During the cure period, election officials worked to process ballots from military and overseas voters, as well as those requiring signature or identification verification. Larimer County Clerk and Recorder Tina Harris stated that she does not anticipate significant changes to the vote totals before certification on November 21, 2023. “The only thing that could potentially move those numbers — and it’s only going to be a few — are inter-county ballots that we may receive from other counties,” Harris explained.

Before the results are certified, Harris’ office will carry out a risk-limiting audit on the full election results, including a specific audit on the mayoral results. The Colorado Secretary of State’s office indicates that these audits provide statistical evidence to confirm the accuracy of election outcomes, utilizing randomly selected paper ballots for verification.

Harris noted that this year’s coordinated election proceeded smoothly, despite a higher-than-expected number of ballots cast on Election Day. “We received like 40% or more of all the ballots on Election Day,” she said. The influx of ballots extended the counting process by approximately a day and a half.

McFall, along with newly elected Loveland City Council members — Geoff Frahm (Ward 1), Sarah Rothberg (Ward 2), Caitlin Wyrick and Kalina Middleton (Ward 3), and Zeke Cortez (Ward 4) — is scheduled to be sworn in during Tuesday’s regular meeting. However, a contestation of the results by either Daniels or Say could delay McFall and Middleton’s transition into office.