Board Certifies Iowa Elections: Miller-Meeks Wins 2nd Congressional by Six Votes, U.S. House Likely to Decide Winner

The bipartisan state Board of Canvass met on Monday to certify election results from earlier this month. The board notably certified GOP State Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks as the winner of the 2nd Congressional District race by just six votes over Democratic opponent Rita Hart. Both candidates sought to fill the seat of Congressman Dave Loebsack, who did not seek re-election.

With such a narrow margin of victory in a race where over 393,000 votes were cast and multiple recounts have altered the margins, Hart’s team has stated it will appeal the result directly to the U.S. House, skipping a state appeals process. Traditionally, the next step in the appeals process would be to form a judicial tribunal, which would include four district court judges and Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court Susan Christensen. That panel would have to rule on which candidate would be seated by Dec. 8.

Instead, Hart is going straight to the U.S. House Administration Committee, which could launch an investigation into the matter. According to the Congressional Research Service, the House could dismiss the complaint, rule in favor of either party or void the election. With this being the closest Congressional race in decades, it could be weeks or months before we know the final verdict of this matter. Read more from Politico.