Thursday, 4:30 PM
Public recount of 2,500 ballots in Wilkerson race
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent
A state judge this afternoon approved the counting of write-in and
sticker votes on 2,500 ballots that election workers missed in Tuesday's primary, setting up a dramatic public recount Thursday that will determine if seven-term State Senator Dianne Wilkerson can hold onto her seat.
The votes, from ballots cast in eight precincts scattered throughout the Second Suffolk District, will be counted at 2 p.m. at City Hall. Wilkerson is clinging to a 141 vote lead in an election that should have been a cakewalk for an longtime incumbent. She found herself in a four-way write-in and sticker race Tuesday after she failed to submit 300 valid signatures and secure her name on the primary ballot.
Boston election officials acknowledged today because of a "good faith
clerical error" they inadvertently overlooked the write-in and sticker
votes on the 2,500 ballots. Even before the discovery of the untallied
votes, there were already allegations of faulty stickers and disputed
ballots.
Election officials posted unofficial results on the city website this
morning that showed that Wilkerson had edged out challenger Sonia
Chang-Diaz by 141 votes.
"We've been saying we want every vote to be fairly counted," said Melissa Threadgill, spokeswoman for Chang-Diaz. "Clearly, there are more votes to be fairly counted. Obviously (we) hope that the votes go in our favor."
Joyce Ferriabough, a political consultant working on Wilkerson's campaign, declined to comment until she could learn more about the new development.
"I'm just learning of this for the first time," Ferriabough said.
A letter dated today from election officials to the Secretary of State said that "election day workers at 8 precincts inadvertently failed to record the election results on their tally sheets.
"Without these materials, this department is unable to determine the
results for the write-in candidates in these precincts," said the letter, which was signed by Geraldine M. Cuddyer, chair of the Board of Commissioners for the Boston Election Department.
Following state law, election officials sealed the ballots from the eight precincts, according to the letter. Secretary of State William F. Galvin issued a statement this afternoon saying he would, in accordance with election law, seek a court order to open the sealed ballots for counting.
"Despite their extraordinary efforts at educating election day personnel for the unprecedented write-in efforts in that district primary, a good faith clerical error was made by precinct workers," Galvin said in the statement.
Wilkerson first claimed victory on her own, citing a 1,200 vote win late Tuesday night.
Early this morning, the unofficial results on the city website gave her a 141-vote lead. According to the incomplete tally, Wilkerson won 5,466 votes, or 48 percent, to Chang-Díaz's 5,325 votes, or 46 percent. Another write-in candidate, John Kelleher, a Jamaica Plain Democrat, took 393 votes, or 3 percent; and Republican Samiyah Diaz won, 275 votes, or 2 percent.
Chang-Diaz, a 28-year-old former teacher, was eying a recount even before the announcement of the uncounted ballots.
"It's our own little Florida," said Chang-Diaz early this morning, before the discovery of the uncounted ballots.
If Chang-Díaz moves for a recount of the entire district, she needs to
submit collect 500 signatures – 50 from each of the 10 wards in the Second Suffolk District, which includes Chinatown, Fenway, Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, the South End, Roxbury, and parts of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Dorchester, and Mattapan.
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