However, Owens filed a protest of the results, claiming that some votes had been counted twice and that provisional ballots were not consistent with the outcome of the election. The protest also raised concerns about delays and confusion regarding results on election night.

Republicans present at the preliminary hearing Monday reportedly said their principal interest is to ensure a &dquo;fair and honest election.&dquo;

Results announced initially on election night showed Owens in second, behind top vote-getter Democrat Cindy Walker. But the results were later revised and showed that&bsp; Ren´e McDermott finished second and Gasperson claimed the third spot with a six-vote margin over incumbent Owens.

The unofficial results showed Walker with 5,101 votes, followed by McDermott with 5,036 and Gasperson with 4,982. Owens finished a close fourth with 4,976 votes. The vote totals for both Gasperson and Owens increased by three votes each following certification of the provisional ballots.