Haig Haleblian Still Projected To Win After McHenry Vote Recount

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — The McHenry County clerk on Friday posted new unofficial election results after finding "anomalies" in its first count and recalling its tabulations on Wednesday.

The anomalies were caused by formatting errors on paper ballots, which caused ballot-reading machines to under-count some votes, the county's clerk said in a social media post on Thursday.

"In simple terms, the issue is caused by the ballot counting devices looking for the oval that you fill in, but not finding it," the post reads. Only the paper ballots used on election day were affected.

Recounts started around 9 a.m. Thursday and were attended by representatives from the clerk's office, both political parties, the county's hardware and software vendors and attorneys.

"We understand the inconvenience this causes, but more importantly appreciate the need to get this done correctly," the post reads.

With all precincts reporting on Friday, Haleblain, the current acting mayor and former city councilor of Crystal Lake, had a notable lead over challengers Donald Kountz and Jim Sisto.

According to unofficial vote tallies, Haleblian had 53.56 percent of the vote total, compared to Sisto's 30.07 percent. Kountz trailed with 16.37 percent.

Haleblian stepped into the mayoral role last summer after Aaron Shepley, who served as Crystal Lake's mayor for 21 years, died in his sleep at the age of 56, city council member Ellen Brady told the Chicago Tribune last spring. He biked 50 miles the day before his death and said he felt a tightness in his chest before he went to sleep.

Haleblian said Shepley was "not only a friend but also a hero," and picked great leaders to help run Crystal Lake.

Here are the profiles submitted to Patch by all mayoral candidates running for the open seat:

• Donald Kountz
• Haig Haleblian
• Jim Sisto

The race for Crystal Lake Council remained tight following the recount. As of Friday, Ian Philpot led the pack with 27.95 percent of the vote, followed closely by Cameron D. Hubbard, who had 27.20 percent of the vote.

Mandy Montford on Friday had 27.12 percent of the vote, and Robert Brechbiel trailed with 17.74 percent.

In the race for the Village of Cary trustee, Jennifer Weinhammer led the pack with 25.86 percent of the popular vote, followed by Rock Walrath with 25.40 percent.

Duane “Rick” Dudek had 24.84 percent of the vote as of Friday afternoon, and Jeffery C. Kraus had 23.89 percent.

Patch editor Amie Schaenzer contributed to this report.