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DES MOINES — An Iowa judge is considering whether to order election officials to count 29 mailed absentee ballots that could change the outcome of a Northeast Iowa House race or dismiss a lawsuit claiming voters have been disenfranchised by officials who refuse to count them.

Judge Scott Beattie took up the case on Thursday. Beattie is expected to deliver a written ruling soon.

Republican Michael Bergan defeated Democrat Kayla Koether by nine votes in the race for Iowa House District 55.

Koether is claiming 29 absentee ballots that were not counted should be because they include an electronic bar code that shows the ballots were mailed by the state deadline.

But Winneshiek County auditor Ben Steines and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, both Republicans, say the ballots should not be counted because the bar codes are not the kind used by auditors to authenticate ballots. Steines and Pate have asked Beattie to dismiss the lawsuit.

Beattie also is considering motions to move the case from Polk County to Winneshiek County, and to provide further information about the uncounted ballots to Koether’s attorneys.