FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Nov. 14, 2014
Contact: Kristen Schulze Muszynski
207-626-8404


Secretary of State Matt Dunlap Announces Withdrawal of 2 Ballot Recount Requests


AUGUSTA — Two State Senate candidates have withdrawn their requests for recounts of the ballots cast in their respective races on Nov. 4.

Secretary of State Matt Dunlap announces that the requests in Senate District 2 (parts of Aroostook and Penobscot counties); and Senate District 13 (all of Lincoln County except Dresden, plus Windsor in Kennebec County and Washington in Knox County) have been withdrawn.

Recounts are still planned in Senate District 11 (Waldo County); Senate District 21 (City of Lewiston); and Senate District 25 (part of Cumberland County).

All of the remaining recounts will take place in the Florian Room of the Department of Public Safety Building, 45 Commerce Drive in Augusta. Scheduling is listed in the chart below:


Fall 2014 Recount Schedule

Office

District

Candidate (Party)

Unofficial Results

Recount Date/Time

Senate

11

Jonathan Fulford (D)

Michael Thibodeau (R)

8,961

9,066

Friday, Nov. 14,
9 a.m.

Senate

21

Patricia Gagne (R)

Nathan Libby (D)

6,576

6,647


Monday, Nov. 17,
9 a.m.

Senate

25

Catherine Breen (D)

Cathleen Manchester (R)

10,930

10,898

Tuesday, Nov. 18,
9 a.m.

Senate

2

Michael Carpenter (D)

Michael Willette (R)

7,394

7,625

REQUEST
WITHDRAWN

Senate

13

Leslie T. Fossel (R)

Christopher K. Johnson (D)

9,146

9,492

REQUEST
WITHDRAWN

Recounts are requested based upon the unofficial preliminary results and the deadline for recount requests was 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Recounts are a public proceeding. In a recount, the representatives of each candidate and staff members from the Department of the Secretary of State manually review each ballot to determine the official vote tally.

Senate recounts typically require one day to complete. Results of the recounts will be posted on the Maine Department of the Secretary of State Facebook page and released to the media as they become available.

State law requires the State Police to collect the ballots for the recounts and keep them in a secure 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.

If a recount produces enough disputed ballots to affect the outcome of the election, the Maine State Senate will determine which candidate to seat in State Senate races.