JAY – Selectmen voted Monday to hold another referendum June 20 to attempt to break a tie vote between two candidates for a Jay School Committee seat. Incumbent School Committee member Joel Pike will continue to serve on the board until the election.
Last week’s inspection of ballots that were cast on April 25 showed incumbent Joel Pike and challenger Brent “Joe” DeSanctis tied at 244-244, which matched a machine count of the ballots on the night of the vote. Ballot clerks did a second count of the ballots by hand the same evening, and the results showed DeSanctis winning the election 243-237.
However, Town Clerk Ronda Palmer realized that evening that the write-in ballots were not counted by hand and could have represented 22 votes.
She advised Pike to ask for the inspection of the ballots, which both candidates attended.
During the inspection Wednesday, it was revealed that there were 224 blank votes on the ballots.
Incumbent School Committee member Mary Redmond-Luce had a clear victory with 283 votes.
Both DeSanctis and Pike conveyed to the town clerk that they were comfortable with the result of the inspection tally and agreed to forgo a formal recount, Palmer said Monday during the recount hearing.
Pike attended the hearing, but DeSanctis was unable to make it and had talked with Palmer earlier, she said.
Palmer said she talked to the Maine Municipal Association, which advised that Pike remain in the seat until the election takes place.
The polls are scheduled to be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 20, at the Community Building.
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