LINN — The Osage County Clerk’s Office is seeking a court order for a special election in Linn’s mayoral race after determining that some voters did not receive ballots including the contest, due to annexation-related errors.

The April mayoral election was decided by 26 votes in a 127-101 margin that favored Michael Troesser over Dustin Flamm.

According to a press release issued April 28, the clerk’s office anticipates filing a petition in Osage County Circuit Court requesting authorization for a new election, stating that the number of affected voters exceeds the margin of victory.

“Every voter deserves to cast the right ballot, and every candidate deserves an election that is conducted correctly,” said Interim Osage County Clerk Brooke Dudenhoeffer. “When we identified this error, we had an obligation to bring it before the court and let the process work as it’s designed to. That’s what we’re doing.”

The issue stems from voter registration records that were not updated to reflect addresses that had been annexed into the city of Linn. As a result, some residents received ballot styles that did not include the mayoral race, despite being eligible to vote in it.

The clerk’s office described the problem as an administrative error and stated that affected voter records have since been corrected. The office is also reviewing its internal processes for updating voter addresses following annexations.

Questions about annexation records, ballot access, and candidate eligibility had already emerged following the election.

At issue are multiple annexations that were not fully entered into the voter system before the election, affecting whether some residents received city ballots.

According to county records, a 2023 annexation and two annexations approved in 2025 were not fully entered into the system used to assign ballots before the April election. The 2025 annexations were allegedly not complete in the system in part because the city had not provided all required documentation, including property deeds needed for full entry.

During the March 24, 2026, Osage County Commission meeting, two weeks before the election, Assessor Tina Kammerich said her office had provided the city with a list of parcels requiring correct deeds, but that Linn City Clerk Carrie Grellner had quit responding to her requests. Kammerich later said her office had entered everything it had received from the city, but gaps remained where proper documentation had not been provided.

In addition, the 2025 annexation ordinances did not specify which voting ward the newly annexed areas should be assigned to, or whether a new ward would be created. Without that information, the affected addresses were not included in city ballot assignments.

After the annexations were entered into the system, pending confirmation of the correct ward(s), preliminary numbers indicated less than 45 voters were affected in the April election. The Ward Two alderman race on the same ballot was decided by a margin of 45 votes and is not expected to have been impacted.

“If voters noticed an issue with the ballots, I feel like they should have brought it up at the polling station before casting their ballot,” said mayor-elect Troesser, whose win was certified by Dudenhoeffer, though he has not been sworn in.

Mayor Dwight Massey said it’s unfortunate the city is in a position where a re-election has to be considered, but he doesn’t believe there was anything malicious or intentional behind it. “These were clerical issues that came to light during the election, and we’re taking steps to make sure they’re corrected going forward,” Massey added.

Dudenhoeffer agreed. “We recognize that this situation is frustrating for voters and candidates alike,” she said. “We are committed to being straightforward about what happened, working through the proper legal process, and making sure that the outcome of this race reflects a fair and accurate count.”

A separate issue involves Flamm’s eligibility.

Candidates were certified for the April ballot on Jan. 27, 2026. As part of the filing process, candidates are required to sign an affidavit stating they meet eligibility requirements, including being current on property and personal property taxes (RSMo 115.306.2).

Records obtained from the Osage County Collector’s Office show Flamm’s mortgage company paid the property tax on his residence on Dec. 11, 2025. However, Flamm did not pay his 2025 personal property tax or property tax on a second property until March 9, 2026, after certification of candidates and after absentee voting had begun.

The court will review the clerk’s petition and determine whether a special election will be ordered.

Updates will appear in the Unterrified Democrat.