Section 168.836 - Ordering special election in precinct affected by defect or mechanical malfunction; conditions; effect of votes in excess of electors(1) The board of canvassers shall order a special election for the office of the petitioning candidate or the ballot question only in each precinct affected by a defect or mechanical malfunction as described in section 831 if all of the following are true: (a) An elector could not cast a valid vote in the precinct for the petitioning candidate or for or against the ballot question because of the defect or mechanical malfunction.(b) Based on the available canvass, the number of electors who could not cast valid votes for the office or for or against the ballot question in an election because of the defect or mechanical malfunction is greater than the number of votes separating the candidates getting the most and the second most number of votes or is greater than the number of votes separating total "yes" votes and the total "no" votes.(2) If the number of votes for an office or for or against a ballot question recorded on a voting machine exceeds the number of electors that voted on the machine, then for the purposes of subsection (1), the difference shall be regarded as the number of electors who, because of a defect or mechanical malfunction as described in section 831, could not cast valid votes for the office or for or against the ballot question.Add. 1982, Act 505, Eff. 3/30/1983 ;--Am. 1990, Act 95, Imd. Eff. 6/6/1990 .