BOISE, Idaho — Idaho election officials said they’re investigating missing votes in Elmore County after noticing a discrepancy in the November election tallies.

Elmore County notified the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office on Friday that it found a difference between the number of ballots cast and the number of people who voted in the Nov. 4 election, according to a news release from the Secretary of State’s Office.

A review on Monday determined that about 300 ballots cast were not “tallied or included in the final results,” the release said.

Voters sign a physical or electronic poll book before they are issued a ballot, Chelsea Carattini, spokesperson for the Idaho secretary of state, told the Idaho Statesman in an email. Elmore County realized there was a problem when the number of signatures did not match the number of ballots counted. Carattini said the office is still working to “determine the scope of the issue” and doesn’t yet know which races were affected.

Elmore County counted about 2,800 ballots cast, according to its website, and every race in that county was determined by fewer than 300 votes. Some candidates, in the small towns of Bruneau and Atlanta, won their races by two or three votes.

“Needless to say, this situation is very concerning,” Secretary of State Phil McGrane said in a statement. “We are taking this matter seriously and will pursue every available path to ensure the will of the voters is accurately reflected in the results. Every vote matters, and we are committed to the accuracy and integrity of Idaho’s elections.”

The Secretary of State’s election team said it planned to go to Elmore County on Tuesday morning to work with the Elmore County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office to ensure the final vote outcome follows Idaho’s legal requirements.

Elmore County Clerk Shelley Essl said in the release that she was cooperating with the Secretary of State’s Office and wanted to ensure voters could be confident in the final outcome.

“We take great pride in conducting accurate elections and are committed to ensuring every vote is counted,” Essl said in the news release.

Carattini said the office would provide updates as its officials learn more.

The Elmore County Clerk’s Office in Mountain Home transferred the Statesman to voicemail after it requested an interview.

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