FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018
Contact: Kristen Schulze Muszynski
o: 207-626-8404/ c: 441-7638

Secretary Dunlap announces ballot recount in Hancock County

AUGUSTA — A recount of ballots cast in the Hancock County Judge of Probate race has been requested and scheduled, Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced today.

Unofficial preliminary results show candidate William B. Blaisdell, IV (R) of Ellsworth with 13,943 votes and candidate Lynne A. Williams (D) of Bar Harbor with 13,886 votes, a difference of 57 votes.

The recount is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, through 4:30 p.m.; and will continue on Thursday, November 29, 2018, from 9:30 a.m. until completed, at the Elkins Building in Augusta, 19 Elkins Lane.

An additional recount request, for the Treasurer race in Penobscot County, has been withdrawn. The deadline to request a recount in a non-ranked-choice-voting race was Wednesday, Nov. 14.

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.

Results of the recount will be posted on the Maine Department of the Secretary of State website and Facebook page and released to the media via email.

State law requires the State Police to collect the ballots for the recount and keep them in a secure State Police facility until the recount has been completed. The ballots are stored in tamperproof metal containers and are closed with specially numbered security seals and locks.