Two certified winners of a Fayette County Republican Executive Committee primary have had their victories wiped out — and the race will be run again this November — after the county commission determined that poll workers allowed non-Republicans to vote in a closed primary, making it impossible to know who actually won.
The Fayette County Commission held a special meeting on Wednesday, July 22, to rule on an election contest filed by William Vest, one of three men who ran for two Plateau District male seats on the Republican Executive Committee. The commission found that 96 Republican ballots were cast by non-Republicans across multiple districts, and that at least 37 of those voters participated specifically in the contested race — more than enough to swing a result where voters could each pick two candidates, meaning up to 74 unlawful votes may have been recorded.
Because the lawful vote totals could not be reconstructed with reasonable certainty, the commission vacated the Board of Canvassers' certifications that had awarded the two seats to Robert Shirley Love and Austin Haynes. All three candidates — Love, Haynes, and Vest — will now appear on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
With those votes, I would have surpassed the second person who actually they declared the winner.— William Vest, Republican candidate
The commission was explicit that the improper votes were not the result of deliberate interference. According to the official order, the problem stemmed from failures by poll workers in multiple districts to follow proper procedure for a closed primary — one in which only registered members of a party are permitted to vote. No other races were significantly affected, according to WOAY.
…And that decision is to order a new election and order that that election for all three candidates be placed on the November 3rd ballot for the general election this year.— Allison Taylor, Fayette County Commissioner
Commissioner John Brennaman recused himself from all proceedings, according to the official order, because his stepson, Austin Haynes, was one of the candidates whose certification was vacated.
We just want to make sure that we got fair elections. The county commission made the correct decision. I'm very happy with that. I mean, we'll go forward in November, and may the winners come out on top of that. I mean, that's the only way it should be.— William Vest, Republican candidate
The Plateau District male seats are part of the local Republican Party's governing committee. Voters in Fayette County will now decide all three candidates' fates in the fall general election.
Why it matters — The case shows how poll worker procedural errors in a small local race — not fraud — can be enough to overturn certified results and send candidates back to the ballot months later.
⚠ Not yet confirmed
- The exact primary vote totals for each of the three candidates have not been reported.
Reported by wjlsam.com, wvnstv.com, woay.com
Where this comes from
Written by Papalocal's AI from these outlets' reporting. It can miss or misread things; the outlets are the record.