The recount of Escanaba’s recent city election has been completed, and there’s only a one-vote difference from the numbers that came in on Election Night.
The recount was requested and paid for by Ronald Beauchamp, an incumbent who lost re-election on November 5th.
The single problem vote was an absentee ballot, which City Clerk Phil DeMay says was filled out in red ink. Vote scanners can’t read anything but blue or black ink, he says.
However, that vote did not change the election results—which saw the two challengers (Karen Moore and Tyler Dubord) elected to the two open seats on the city council.
Beauchamp and fellow incmbant Michael Sattam lost their seats in that election.
Statement fromEscnaba City Clerk Phil DeMay:
The recount turned out as expected. We have processes and procedures in place to assure that we run a very efficient and credible election. We are very fortunate that we have such great workers at all precincts and AV counting board.
We take the responsibility to uphold the integrity of the election and the process very seriously. We came up with one extra ballot throughout the 2,294 ballots processed in the recount.
The absentee voter ballot didn’t get read properly by the tabulator because it was done in red ink. The ballot did not close the gap between the 2nd and 3rd place candidates (1 vote for each) and is considered a wash. I would like to thank our precinct workers and AV counting board for a very accurate outcome of this past election.
Thank you,
City Clerk/ IT Administrator
Phil DeMay
