House Districts 72 and 151 Recount Results, Maine (USA)

For Immediate Release
November 21, 2000
Contact: Dan Gwadosky
(207) 626-8400

Recounts Completed for House Districts 72 and 151

AUGUSTA--Two recounts resulting from the November General Election were held today for House Districts 72 and 151. In a recount completed thismorning for House District 72, Thomas F. Shields (R) of Auburn remainedthe winner by a margin of 128 votes after the ballots were recounted underthe supervisionof the Secretary of State’s Office. Stanley L.Tetenman (D) of Auburn had requested the recount after the preliminary resultsfrom Election Day showed him to have lost the election.

In the recountcompleted this afternoon for House District 151, Marc Michaud (D) ofFort Kent remained the winner by a margin of 155 votes after the ballots wererecounted. Troy D. Jackson (R) of Allagash requested the recount afterthe preliminary results from Election Day showed him to have lost the election. All recounts requested from the November 7, 2000 General Election have nowbeen completed.

All recounts areconducted 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 facilityuntil the recounts have been completed. The ballots are stored in tamperproof metal containers and are closed with specially numbered security seals and locks.

A person requestinga recount may be required by law to make a deposit, depending on the margin of victory in the election. For example, if the margin between the twocandidates in an election is less than 2 % of the votes cast, then no depositis required. If the margin is 2 % to 4%, then a $500 depositis required. If the margin is greater than 4 %, then a $1,000 deposit is required.

In a recount, therepresentatives of each candidate and the staff of the Division of Electionsmanually review each ballot to determine the official vote tally. Recountsare requested based upon the unofficial initial results,sometimes calledthe apparent results.

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

If a recount ina general election for the Maine House of Representatives produces enoughdisputed ballots to affect the election result, the House itself reviews thedisputed ballots and resolves the election outcome. This is also truefor recounts affecting a Maine Senate seat. This procedure is set forthin the Maine Constitution.

An updated listof all recounts requested is attached. The deadline for requesting recounts was by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15, 2000.