LEWISTON — A residency error will cost Ward 4 City Councilor-elect Doreen Christ her seat.
Councilors voted Tuesday night to declare the results of the Nov. 8 election in Ward 4 null and void and scheduled a special election for Feb. 7.
City Administrator Ed Barrett said his staff learned Friday that Christ had moved within the city from College Street in Ward 3 to Buckley Street in Ward 4 almost a month after the deadline to qualify for the election.
“I believe it a good faith error on our part, as well as on Ms. Christ’s part, and I think we need to take some steps to rectify this,” Barrett said.
City Clerk Kathy Montejo said her staff checked Christ’s voting record, but didn’t notice the date on which she had registered.
“We checked her status, and she has been a registered voter in Lewiston for many years,” Montejo said. “Then we checked to make sure she resided in Ward 4, but we didn’t check to see when she moved to Ward 4.”
Christ was the only candidate on the ballot for the Ward 4 seat. Charles Turgeon, of 43 Buckley St., declared himself a write-in candidate but did not get enough votes to qualify for the seat.
According to Barrett, Turgeon notified the City Clerk’s office of Christ’s residency error on Friday.
City rules require residents seeking election to Lewiston office to be at least 20 years old and qualified to vote in their ward for three months before the municipal election.
Those rules put Christ’s residency deadline at June 9. Christ moved to her Buckley Street apartment on July 4 and registered to vote there on July 12.
According to the city’s rules, Christ can seek the same seat in the Feb. 7 election. She said would do just that.
“I never knew anything about this requirement,” Christ said. “I wouldn’t have run at all if I’d known. But I’m going to run now. It’s the only thing I can do.”
Christ and any other candidate for the Ward 4 seat can begin passing nominating petitions to get their names on the ballot on Thursday. Nominations are due and the ballot will be set on Dec. 22. Absentee ballots will be available Dec. 28 through Feb. 2.
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- Doreen Crist
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- A ward map of Lewiston/Auburn with Ward 4 highlighted.
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