For Immediate Release
November 20, 2002
Contact: Dan A. Gwadosky
207-626-8400

Recounts Completed in House Districts 80 and 111

AUGUSTA--The recounts resulting from the November General Election for House Districts 80 and 111 were conducted today under the supervision of the Secretary of State's Office. After a recount held this morning for House District 80, a 1-vote margin separated Stanley A. Moody (R) of Manchester and Elaine Fuller (D) of Manchester. The recount determined that 2,156 ballots were cast for Moody, while 2,155 ballots were cast for Fuller, with 10 ballots in dispute. Since there are sufficient ballots in dispute to determine the outcome of the election, the recount may be referred to the Maine House of Representatives to decide the final result, if the candidates do not resolve the recount by agreement. This procedure is set forth in the Maine Constitution.

In the recount completed this evening for House District 111, Earl E. Richardson (R) of Greenville remained the winner by a margin of 33 votes after the ballots were recounted. Sharon Libby Jones (D) of Greenville requested the recount after the preliminary results from Election Day showed her to have lost the election. The recount determined that 1,716 ballots were cast for Richardson, while 1,683 ballots were cast for Jones.

All recounts are conducted in a secure State Police building on Hospital Street in Augusta. Recounts are a public proceeding and members of the media may attend to observe. State law requires the State Police to collect the ballots for the recounts and keep them in the secured State Police facility until the recounts have been completed. The ballots are stored in tamperproof metal containers and are closed with specially numbered security seals and locks.

In a recount, the representatives of each candidate and the staff of the Division of Elections manually review each ballot to determine the official vote tally. Recounts are requested based upon the unofficial initial results, sometimes called the apparent results.

A candidate who requests and receives a recount may withdraw from the recount, thus ending the process, at any time while the recount shows that candidate did not win the election. If, during the recount, the candidate requesting the recount overtakes the candidate who initially appeared to win the election, the candidate requesting the recount may not withdraw the request.

An updated recount schedule is attached.

Recount Requests and Schedule