District 3 City Council candidate, Dan Finn, formally filed a recount petition yesterday, setting the stage for the 2,309 ballots cast in the November 4th municipal election to be tallied once again, this time via a hand recount.
Both Finn and Lowell Elections Director Will Rosenberry confirmed the filing with InsideLowell.
The date of the recount has not been announced and will be revealed at this coming Monday’s Election Commission meeting, though we’re told it will likely take place either Friday November 21 or Saturday November 22. (meeting agenda viewable below)
The unofficial tally released election night showed Belinda Juran with 1,143 votes to Finn’s 1,139, a scant four vote margin, with 27 blank ballots. Subsequently, an additional eight provisional and hand counted ballots were added to the total, making it a ten vote margin in favor of Juran, 1,150-1,140.
Currently, there are no overseas ballots outstanding, though the deadline for those is 5pm today.
Procedures for the recount are clearly spelled out by Mass General Law.
The count itself will be conducted in the Mayor’s Reception Room at City Hall. Registrars, or Election Commissioners, sit as “judges” of the protested ballots. They do not tally the votes, but may appoint the number of clerks necessary to do the actual recounting.
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.
