State board to discuss Jamestown election Tuesday

By Kate I. Howard   Newport Daily News    17 June 2005
  

The state Board of Elections will meet Tuesday to determine what action to take in Jamestown's Town Council election.

Unsuccessful Republican candidate Daniel J. Capuano Jr. requested the board conduct a second recount, since in this week's recount involving two candidates, a total of 12 fewer ballots were counted than on election night.

The election was approved by the board and certified Tuesday by the town's Board of Canvassers, but questions remain about the missing ballots.

George Bowen, acting director of the state Board of Elections, said the board will look at everything that transpired during the election. The board could open the sealed envelopes containing the ballots and inspect them, he said. This would not involve a re-tallying of votes, but might be done to ensure no ballots were inadvertently placed in the wrong envelope, Bowen said.

"If there are any inconsistencies, or anything the board deemed inappropriate that happened, they have the right to take corrective action," Bowen said.

The Eagle voting machines used in the June 1 elections were tested for accuracy prior to the election and inspected afterwards, Bowen said. The machines work by internally sorting the ballots into bins. The ballots were then scooped out, put into envelopes and sealed inside the town vault.

Two days after the election, an envelope from each of the three polling places and the voting machines were delivered to the state Board of Elections for the recount, which was requested by the town's Republican Party. Despite the missing ballots, the recount did not change the outcome of the election.

After the recount, Town Clerk Arlene Petit said the town interviewed poll workers and searched to make sure no ballots were misplaced. The town delivered documentation of its procedures before it was even requested, Bowen said.

Capuano said his reason for seeking a second recount is to make sure every vote counted. Capuano, who was tied for seventh place on election night with Michael G. White, said he is concerned about who would be next in line if any council members were to resign.

He also questioned a write-in vote cast for White, whose name was on the ballot.

While the issue wasn't addressed on election night, that vote is not legal, according to state law that says a write-in vote can't be cast for someone already listed on the ballot.

Karen Montoya of the Board of Canvassers said as the election results were being recorded, the ballot was not scrutinized and the write-in vote was not added to White's tally.

"It was a moot point, because he was far down on the list at that point," Montoya said. "Had he been in the fifth place, we definitely would've scrutinized the ballot. But we did not add the write-in vote."