2nd District GOP primary granted recount by state

AUGUSTA – The recount for the Republican primary in the 2nd Congressional District will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 25, and will be conducted under the supervision of the Secretary of State’s Office at the state police barracks in Augusta. The secretary’s office would not predict how long the recount might take.

Unofficial results compiled by the Bangor Daily News show Kevin Raye of Perry, former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, holding a 417-vote margin over former Bangor Mayor Tim Woodcock. More than 38,000 votes were cast in the four-member race, which included state Rep. Stavros Mendros of Lewiston and former state Rep. Dick Campbell of Orrington.

Woodcock asked the secretary of state for a recount on Wednesday.

No other recount requests had been received as of Friday afternoon, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. The deadline for requesting a recount for any of the primary races is 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, and all requests must be submitted in writing to the secretary of state.

All recounts are conducted in a secure state police building on Hospital Street in Augusta. Recounts are a public proceeding and members of the public may attend to observe, as space allows.

State police have collected the ballots for the recount and stored them in locked, tamperproof metal containers.

“The methodical manner in which recounts are conducted in Maine allows candidates, as well as the general public, to have confidence in the electoral process and in the results of our elections,” said Secretary of State Dan A. Gwadosky.

If the margin between the top two candidates in an election is less than 2 percent of the total votes cast, then no deposit is required when one asks for a recount. If the margin is 2 percent to 4 percent, then a $500 deposit is required. If the margin is greater than 4 percent, then a $1,000 deposit is required.

In a recount, the representatives of each candidate and the staff of the Division of Elections manually review each ballot to determine the official vote tally. Recounts are requested based upon the unofficial initial results, sometimes called the apparent results.

In a primary election, if the recount produces enough disputed ballots to affect the election result, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court shall review the ballots and determine the outcome of the election. This procedure is set forth in Maine law.

The last recount involving a congressional race in Maine happened after the general election in November 1974.

The apparent winner of a 1st District contest was Republican David Emery. Democrat Peter Kyros requested the recount, which eventually upheld Emery’s victory.