JAY – The town clerk has organized a recount hearing on Monday on the ballots cast for a term on the Jay School Committee.
If the recount ends in a tie for a third time, Town Clerk Ronda Palmer said, another election will be held, unless someone concedes.
Initially, incumbent School Committee member Joel Pike and challenger Brent “Joe” DeSanctis were tied 244-244 after a machine tally of the votes on April 25, the day of the annual town meeting referendum. That night, a second count of the ballots by hand showed DeSanctis receiving 243 votes and Pike 237 votes.
However, Palmer said Thursday, she realized the next day that 11 write-in ballots hadn’t been included in the hand count. She contacted Pike and suggested he ask for an inspection of ballots because of her error.
On Wednesday, that inspection of the ballots showed that the candidates had tied for the three-year term by 244-244.
The recount hearing with selectmen and the candidates is set for 5 p.m. Monday in the Community Building. Selectmen decide the result of any disputed ballots, Palmer said. However, after Wednesday’s inspection, there didn’t appear to be any disputed ballots, she said.
Wednesday’s ballot inspection revealed that although the ballot said people could vote for two School Committee candidates, many people voted for only one candidate or voted for no one, Palmer said. Some may have voted for one person on purpose, but she said she assumed there was some confusion because there were 224 blank votes.
There had been two three-year School Committee seats on the April 25 referendum. Incumbent committee member Mary Redmond-Luce was a clear winner, receiving 283 votes in the initial machine counting, and she still maintained her lead in the second count with 277 votes. In Wednesday’s inspection, she received 283 votes.
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