So I was wrong about Dan Finn not wanting a recount and we will be having one in the upcoming week.

According to the State Election book on Recounts, here’s an overview of what to expect:

III. The Recount After the registrars and their clerks are in place, the candidates’ representatives and agents are admitted to the recount area upon presentation of their written authorization. Only those people directly involved in the recount can be present within the recount area; however, the public and the press must be admitted into the room where the recount is being conducted, to observe the proceedings. Members of the public must remain outside the recount area. In some communities, badges are provided to identify the people present and their different roles and some communities use a “guardrail” to designate the recount area.

The registrars must supervise the removal of the ballots from the vault, and check for proper seals and markings. The candidates’ counsel may accompany the registrars and ascertain to their satisfaction that all is in order. Ballots to be Counted by Hand Before the ballots are counted, they are first separated into blocks of 50 and each block is put into an envelope.

Each counting team will receive a block of 50 ballots and a tally sheet on which to record the votes. While all ballots are to be counted, only the office or question being recounted is to be read and tallied. Those ballots protested during the recount are counted in accordance with the decision of the majority of the board of registrars. If there is a 2 – 2 vote by the board of registrars, the ballot is counted as called by the ballot reader.

The recount includes counting all ballots cast for all the candidates for the office, blanks cast, all spoiled and unused ballots, and absentee ballot envelopes and applications. Where hand-counted paper ballots are used, the boxes should be brought into the room one at a time and an envelope containing a block of 50 ballots with its tally sheet should be delivered to each counting team one at a time. There should be two clerks on each team, facing each other across the table, one reading the ballot and one marking the tally sheet. An agent for each candidate may stand behind each clerk to watch and may keep a tally, or make notes.

Only the registrars and their clerks are permitted to handle the ballots. No marks whatsoever are to be made on the ballots. For paper ballots, each ballot should be spread fully on the table in front of the ballot reader so that everyone at the table may view first the outside, and then the inside of the ballot. A red pen or pencil is the only writing instrument to be used at the table by the tally-clerk, who enters the ballot count on new tally sheets. Conversation should be kept to a minimum. The candidates’ counsel and agents should also try to maintain tallies.

The Will of the Voters All parties to a recount should keep in mind that the will of the voters, if it can be determined with reasonable certainty, must be given effect. If the marks on the ballot fairly indicate the voter’s intent, the vote should be counted in accordance with that intent, as long as the voter has essentially complied with the election law.

The voter is not disenfranchised because of minor irregularities. Where, however, the ballot is marked in a way that leaves the intent of the voter unclear, the vote should not be counted. See section V for examples of contested ballot marks. McCavitt v. Registrars of Voters of Brockton, 385 Mass. 833 (1982); Kane v. Registrars of Voter, 328 Mass. 511, 518 (1952); Munn v. Dabrowski, 335 Mass. 41 (1956).

Protested Ballots When a ballot is protested by any agent, the tally clerk should not record the vote. The tally clerk should call the runner to take the ballot to the registrars’ table where they may make their determination in the presence of the candidates’ counsel.

If all the counsel agree with the registrars’ ruling, the runner returns the ballot to the table where it was originally protested and reports how the registrars ruled. The tally clerk records the vote as ruled and the ballot is resealed with the remainder of the ballots from that block. If any counsel protests the ruling of the registrars, one registrar signs the back of the protested ballot and above his signature puts the block number, the office for which the vote was protested, and the name of the candidate for whom the vote was counted. This ballot is returned to the table for counting according to the registrars’ ruling, and then brought back to the registrars to be segregated with other protested ballots. If the clerks finish counting the block before the runner returns with the protested ballot, they should wait for its return before tabulating the block total or opening a new block envelope.

Absentee Ballots Rejected as Defective During a recount, the registrars examine the sealed inner ballot envelopes of absentee ballots which have previously been rejected as defective to determine whether each such ballot should have been rejected or accepted. The ballot must be rejected if the envelope is not signed by the voter. The envelope should not be rejected merely because a signature is difficult to read. The registrars shall make a statement on the back of each of these inner ballot envelopes giving their reason for rejecting or accepting these ballots during the recount. The statement must be signed by a majority of the registrars. This determination is subject to protest as each envelope is examined at the recount. If the registrars decide to accept an inner envelope originally rejected as defective, they must open the envelope, count the ballot, and attach the envelope to the ballot.

When the Recount is Complete When the recount is complete, and with the candidates’ counsel present if they wish, ballots must be properly sealed in their containers, certified and returned to the vault. The protested ballots must be placed in the vault in a separate, sealed and certified envelope. Only one recount is permitted. The registrars may not order a “re-count” unless the number of ballots in a block does not add up to the block count (e.g. there is a block of fifty ballots and the count shows 24 for “X,” 24 for “Y” and 1 blank). The registrars must make and sign a statement of their determination of the results of the recount. All materials, including the statement, must be returned to the city or town clerk or election commissioners, who must amend the final vote tallies. The amended records stand as the true record of the election.

Mayor’s Race: The results of this recount could affect the mayor’s race. We know that Mayor Rourke, who would like another term, has publicly stated he has the support of Councilors Mercier, Scott, Chau, Descoteaux and his own vote, giving him five.

Vesna Noun has his own vote and, publicly so far, only Sidney Liang’s.

Councilor Gitschier – Has made no public statement. nor has he privately mentioned anything to me since we haven’t talked recently. I doubt he supports Mayor Rourke, as I said last week. I don’t think he would support anyone (except maybe Rita Mercier) to serve consecutively.

Councilor Robinson – “To err is human, to forgive divine.” Maybe Councilor Robinson is a forgive and forget kind of guy? Will he forget that Councilor Nuon was one of the five councilors signing a letter calling for him to resign when facing a legal issue. Maybe he will forget Vesna’s supporters Judith Durant, Tara Hong and others appearing at the City Council meeting calling for his resignation.

As of this writing he hasn’t stated his support publicly (privately I won’t say what we discussed). Will he make his position clear before inauguration day? Or enjoy dragging this out to keep the political bubble perkolating?

Who knows? Politics and time sometimes heal old wounds.

Sean McDonough – On a WCAP debate BEFORE the election, he stated he thought the Mayor was doing a good job and would support him. Since election he has stated he hasn’t made up his mind.

Many voters in the Centralville / Pawtucketville section of his district who turned out to vote hope he stays true to his word. They turned out for him!

The sooner he makes a public decision, the easier the time between now and Inauguration Day is. Until then, he’s the man everyone wants, and he will continue to hear from supporters of the only two candidates who have declared for Mayor.

Belinda Juran / Dan Finn – First priority for them is to clearly get elected. After that they can declare who they support.

Miscellaneous – Janes Ostis’ name has been bubbling up all over the political scuttlebutt! Some say he runs for State Rep if Rodney Elliott wins the Senate race. Others say if Vesna gets the Mayoral position, he returns to the Mayor’s Assistant role he served in under Mayors  Kennedy and Samaras…..Virak Uy, former City Council candidate and Middlesex Community College Director, Program for Asian American Student Advancement/ Asian American Community Liaison, has pulled papers for the State Senate Democratic primary race and has begun collecting signatures, but is telling people he’s “not sure” if he will turn them in. Why pull papers and collect signatures if you’re “not sure?”…It looks like there’s going to be a Republican candidate in the State Senate race after all. Sam Meas, who ran United States Congress as a Republican in 2010 and for 18th Middlesex State Representative as a Democrat in 2018, tells me he will be making an official announcement within the next week.

Finally, a reminder this column is 100% my viewpoint on things. I’m not a reporter like my friend Melaine Gilbert (get well, a tonsillectomy isn’t fun at any age). I receive no paycheck from InsideLowell. I don’t sell ads to make money. And I’m no longer a weekday radio host. Just sharing my sometimes confusing, or as I was told last week, BIASED view. You are never forced to read this, agree or comment. If you don’t like it, skip the notes column or, better yet, write one of your own. I’m sure Teddy would welcome another weekly contributor!