GINA B. GOOD / PVT Last month's count of the remaining ballots left from last year's GOP state convention, prove Pat Kerby should have been one of the delegates representing Pahrump Republicans in Congressional District 2. Advertisement

It's been a long time coming but the uncounted ballots cast by delegates at last year's Republican state convention in Reno were finally counted on Oct. 30. The ballots had been locked in a safe at the site of the convention.

The vote showed three Ron Paul supporters, including 12-year Pahrump resident Pat Kerby, should have represented their peers at the GOP's national convention in Nevada's Congressional District 2, which includes Nye County.

While that event is long over, the resentment over the aborted state convention that was shut down before the count was completed is remembered.

Convention officials halted the vote after Paul supporters appeared to have elected more delegates than the eventual nominee, Sen. John McCain.

More than 800 new ballots were counted, resulting in Robert Terhune from Las Vegas capturing 288 votes, with Kerby tying Marla Criss, of Northern Nevada with 283 votes.

All three would have been last year's delegates to the national convention had the vote been continued. Alternates would have been Dean Heller with 231 votes, Brian Krolicki with 118 votes and Mike Weber with 95 votes.

Instead, the delegates who actually represented District 2 were Fely Qutivis, now a Nye County commissioner, who garnered 19 votes, Michelle Beard with 12 votes and Barbara Scoville, who received no votes.

After 18 months, the count obviously has no bearing on the outcome of Nevada's role in nominating McCain as the party's presidential nominee last year. Kerby said the ploy by the GOP establishment to sideline Paul "was like a sinking ship shooting torpedoes at the rescue boat."

According to Kerby, four of Nevada's delegates were Paul supporters, but during the national convention, they were told by the GOP leadership that Nevada was nominating McCain unanimously.

"I wouldn't have done it," said Kerby, who planned to say, in part: "The great state of Nevada casts all of its 34 votes for the Thomas Jefferson of our time and a president we can be proud of for a change, Dr. Ron Paul."

He added, "It's nice to get it off my chest. If you do not have integrity, an inherent dislike for big government and a dedication to the Constitution of the United States ... voting Republicans are not going to stand for it any more."