Thomas MacMIllan Photo
Moderators count absentee ballot envelopes as candidates and supporters observe.
After more than two hours of painstaking ballot examination, a vote recount turned up new numbers for candidates who ran in a local election this week.
The recount took place Thursday afternoon in the basement of the Hall of Records on Orange Street. It was triggered automatically by a razor thin margin of victory Tuesday night in the race for Democratic Party Ward Committee Co-Chair in the 29th Ward, in Beaver Hills.
Tom Ficklin beat candidate Major Ruth by just one vote Tuesday to earn one of two leadership spots Ward 29 Democratic committee. They received 213 and 212 votes respectively, in the initial election-night count.
In the recount Thursday those numbers became 212 – 211, with Ficklin still on top.
His running mate, Audrey Tyson, won the other spot in the ward, by a healthier margin. She received 286 votes, according to the initial count. In the recount that number grew to 287.
The two other candidates were backed by organized labor. One of them, Major Ruth, won 212 votes as of Tuesday night’s count, 211 as of Thursday’s recount. His running mate, Betty Alford, captured 194 votes — both times.
Absentee ballots figured prominently in the race; the labor-backed candidates had won on at the polling place.
About a dozen people watched Thursday’s recount at the Hall of Records. At least one, labor organizer Gwen Mills, was left shaking her head.
“You should be able to count the ballots two times and get the same number,” Mills said. “That shouldn’t be too much to ask.”
Moderator Fred Delvecchio scans ballots as Ruth and Ficklin look on.
Ruth has the option of filing a court motion asking for a hand count. He said he hasn’t yet decided if he will pursue that.
Tuesday night saw nearly a clean sweep of contested ward committee co-chair races by union-allied candidates. Labor-backed candidates won in East Rock, Fair Haven Heights, Newhallville, Dixwell and Dwight. The victories follow a similar sea change on the Board of Aldermen, where union-affiliated candidates now hold a majority.
Beaver Hills is the one ward where union-backed co-chair candidates lost.
Head moderator John Cirello inspects a machine print-out.
Thursday’s recount was moderated by attorney John Cirello. He was joined in a Hall of Records hearing room at 1 p.m. by registrar of voters staff, other moderators, and supporters of the various candidates. All the candidates were present except for Tyson.
Candidates and their appointed official observers watched closely as the seal on a black duffel bag of Ward 29 ballots was cut open. They scrutinized the ballot scanner as it was tested for accuracy. They looked over the shoulder of Ward 29 moderator George Lopes and Carnetta Penn as they hand-counted stacks of 25 ballots to pass through the machine.
Ruth peeks in the ballot box to make sure no ballots remain.
Ruth, who watched each ballot as it entered the machine, said he saw some marked with circles and “squiggly lines,” which he said seemed questionable.
A total of 350 ballots passed through the machine, the same number that was recorded as cast on Tuesday. But the numbers came up differently. Machine votes for Ficklin went from 142 to 141. Votes for Tyson went from 168 to 169. Votes for Ruth went from 193 to 192.
Absentee ballot moderator Frank Delvecchio counts blank ballots as Cirello and Alford watch.
Cirello said the recount had to go forward, even though the machine numbers had come out different. “I have to follow the procedure outlined in the manual.”
Registrar Sharon Ferrucci talks election rules with a Beaver Hills neighbor.
The recount moved on to the 126 absentee ballots. After inspecting three that had to be hand-counted because they were rejected by the machine, the absentee vote counts remained unchanged from Tuesday: 71 for Ficklin, 116 for Tyson, 16 for Alford, and 19 for Ruth.
“I feel good about the results,” Ruth said. He said he thought the recount had been done fairly. “I’m comfortable with the count.”
He said he’s needs to “assess [his] options” before deciding whether to pursue a hand recount.
“I’m very pleased the the democratic process has prevailed,” said Ficklin. He said he ran for co-chair to “demonstrate a sense of needed independence in the city.”
He shook Ruth’s hand as they left. “See you on the ward committee,” he said.