Back and forth and back again. Elections officials on Monday found the nine absentee ballot votes that were not tabulated in the initial recount of the Jack Hennessy-Marcus Brown State House contest. Those ballots break down six for Brown and three for Hennessy, giving Brown a two-vote advantage with the results under review of a state court.
Brown, a city councilman, was up by five votes after the August 9 Democratic primary tally in the heavily North End 127 State Assembly District. A recount gave Hennessy a one-vote edge with the nine votes in question. The vote was certified even though elections officials believed nine ballots should have been counted.
Brown charged into court. Superior Court Judge Barry Stevens ordered a manual recount of all the ballots.
The nine unaccounted ballots in the recount were apparently separated into a voting bag of another district.
The legal parties will likely have a status conference within the next day to map out the next move in court. Options could be elections officials taking the stand to clarify for the court the completeness of the vote including questions about the nine ballots omitted from the initial recount.
Statement from Brown campaign:
Today, a court-mandated hand recount of the ballots in the 127th District Primary for State Representative showed that Marcus Brown won by the primary, 573 to 571.
The 9 ballots that were missing during the August 16th recount were found in a properly sealed bag containing other absentees that were counted together on Primary Day. Unfortunately, this bag was not opened as requested during the August 16th recanvass, which resulted in the discrepancy in the August 16th recount results. That discrepancy has now been resolved.
As of today, the Town Clerk’s Absentee Ballot report, the number of inner envelopes counted during today’s recount, the number of absentee ballots counted on Primary Day, and the number of absentee ballots counted during today’s recount now all match.
Each of the ballots were manually observed by multiple lawyers and observers. There are no ballots missing at this time. Therefore, we are confident that although the margin is small, it is clear and decisive. Marcus Brown has won the Democratic Primary for the 127th District.
We thank Judge Stevens for giving us the opportunity to rectify the recanvass discrepancies and confirm the results from Primary Day. We thank Jack Hennessy for his many years of service to our country as well as his 18 years in the legislature. We hope that all will honor the will of the people of the 127th District so that we can move on to beating the Republicans in November.
We had an election that was stolen from us, It was a win for Jack and everyone knows it, especially the other side. Will see if Mario had a hand in this recount!.
Now Jack & Maria should take it up with the State to have a new Election!
Yes a new election yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations Marcus Brown. You won on election night and you won again today. Personally, I would have preferred a complete new election. Marcus would have won by a landslide. Mr. Fox it was a pleasure working with you at Winthrop school on election day showing up in late afternoon while Brown supporters a voters were at the polls at 6 am and they came out to vote in 100 degree temperature. A simple congratulations will do. Some if things ypur campaign did were reprehensible. Never an unkind word was uttered about Jack Hennesy. This election has ruined many relationships. Its over , we move forward. We unite for November. Thats what we do.
They still could have had a new election. I can’t speak to the outcome, but while they “conveniently found the 9 missing ABs (way to go Mario 🙂 ), There is still a negative of 11 votes uncounted for.
When Who, is going to open up the Champaign, Pop., and celebrate the 127 State Assembly District? If you know you know, peace out. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo35R9zQsAI
P.S As Marcus stated.
“In order for our democracy to be meaningful, every vote must be counted. The will of the people of the 127th District must be honored, whatever the outcome. ”
People, to be meaningful we have to find those 11 votes., no?
Considering Port’s history of ABs Hennessy can call for a new election. I don’t know if Brown will contest Hennessy’s calls for a new election based on that statement. But Marcus Marshal has expressed concern for Marcus’s statements.
There’s a legal fund for Hennessy so I guess there will be a call for a new election based on the outcome of this recount, the 11 votes are still unaccounted for, considering the history of Mario stuffing the ballots. 🙂
I guess those legal funds went from positive to negative. Instead of Brown fighting for a new election and Hennessy defending it. Hennessy will/can be fighting for a new election while Brown asks the court to honor the manual recount. 🙂 Time will Tell.
At any rate, Port politics is retarded. I am out of here. Play nice people. 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPo5wWmKEaI
Just another CROW EATER, the two votes they found in the bottom of a Fairfield Pizza box!