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McGee Picks Up 1 Vote In Windsor; 5th House District Race Is Now A Tie

Recount Of Absentee Ballots Scheduled Tuesday In Hartford

By STEVEN GOODE

September 17, 2012

WINDSOR— It’s a tie, and heading back to Hartford.

Monday’s highly unusual second recount of votes in the disputed Democratic primary for the 5th General Assembly District turned up a single additional vote for Brandon McGee.

McGee, of Hartford, lost the first recount in the primary by one vote to Leo Canty, the party-endorsed candidate from Windsor. The vote is now tied, with a recount of absentee votes in Hartford scheduled Tuesday.

The 5th district includes parts of Windsor and north Hartford.

Election officials were ordered to conduct the second recount of votes in both communities by Superior Court Judge A. Susan Peck last week.

The outcome of the first recount prompted McGee to file an elections complaint alleging that officials in Windsor lost a ballot in the second voting precinct at John F. Kennedy School and that officials in Hartford miscounted absentee ballots.

In Windsor, 526 ballots were recorded at the school on the night of the primary Aug. 14, but only 525 were tallied during the recount — and McGee lost one vote. Election officials speculated that a vote for McGee was tabulated by the machine twice, but McGee contended that a ballot was lost.

The ballot that was counted for McGee Monday was among the ballots cast at the school.

In Hartford, Town and City Clerk John Bazzano testified that his office delivered 79 absentee ballots to the registrars of voters’ office, but only 78 were counted. Hartford election officials have not been able to explain the discrepancy.

Peck ordered a recount in all three Windsor voting precincts and of Hartford’s absentee ballots. Peck also ordered that all envelopes related to absentee ballots and the sealed bags holding the ballots be examined in an effort to uncover the missing Hartford ballot.

Hartford is expected to conduct its recount Tuesday from 2 to 5 p.m. The court hearing into McGee’s complaint is scheduled to resume in Hartford Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.

McGee said Monday that he was hopeful, but would, “like to see the process through.”

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” he said.

Canty repeated his preference from the day after the primary, when he said the race was too close to call. “If we had done what I suggested, we would have had this resolved by now,” Canty said. “We should have gone to a revote immediately.”