By Patrick Adrian and Jordan J. Phelan
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CLAREMONT — An election recount on Wednesday upheld the results of the vote for the at-large city councilors and actually extended the margin of victory of newly-elected councilor Matt Mooshian over the incumbent Michael Demars.
Following the recount, Mooshian extended his net margin over Demars for the fourth at-large council seat from 12 votes to 21 votes.
Most of Mooshian’s gains came from Ward I. The original tally on election night counted 195 votes for Mooshian. The recount of Ward I tallied 207 votes.
Moderators and observers of the recount attributed the original miscounts to human errors rather than the machines.
Some residents on social media speculated that the city’s machines, which were purchased in 2007, might be faulty, though City Clerk Gwen Melcher dismissed those concerns.
“These machines are only used a few times per year and are tested before every election,” Melcher said. “They are still in very good working condition.”
Meanwhile officials found several examples of human errors when filling out the ballot that resulted in the machine ignoring the voter’s selections.
In at least one example, a voter had marked the ovals with a check mark instead of filling in the oval. The recount officials counted the voter’s choices in the tally because the checkmarks clearly showed the voter’s intent.
In other cases, voters had crossed out one oval and filled in another or added a fifth oval to write-in their own name or some other person. As a result the machine would count too many ovals and discard the entire vote.
Melcher and Elaine Osgood, Ward I moderator, wondered if the city needs to help educate residents about how to properly complete ballots.
“If you take the time to vote you should want to make sure your vote counts,” Osgood said.
To execute the recount, actively serving city councilors divided into teams of two, with one councilor reading the selected candidates on each cast ballot and the second councilor recording the tally.
Moderators observed the counting at each table and were assigned to make determinations in cases of a disputed or unclear ballot.
The candidates could also be an observer or appoint a proxy to observe on one’s behalf. An observer has the right to protest a ballot tally, in which case the moderator must cast the final verdict.
Ballots were first grouped by ward and then into stacks of 50 ballots apiece. The councilors completed Ward I first, followed by Ward III and then Ward II, which is the largest ward in the city. The total recount took nearly two hours.
Councilors participating in the recount were Mayor Charlene Lovett; Assistant Mayor Allen Damren; and Councilors Andrew O’Hearne, Dale Girard, Deborah Matteau and Jon Stone.
The appointment of city councilors to count ballots is directed by the city charter and adheres to the state of New Hampshire’s guidelines.
Resident Joe Osgood served as an observer on behalf of Demars, who is currently out of town on vacation.
“I am very comfortable with the counting groups,” Osgood said. “They are very trustable.”
Osgood was the only candidate-designated observer at the recount.
Mooshian told The Eagle Times he had intended to attend himself but learned late that he had recently been in contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID. Mooshian said he was unable to find a proxy on short notice.
Every at-large candidate had gains in votes from the recount. Councilor Nicholas Koloski, who won re-election, gained three votes; Councilor Demars gained five votes. Mooshian gained 14 votes in total.
Two candidates who won city council seats also saw small gains: Lucas “Rocky” Belliveau received one additional vote and William Limoges gained three votes.
While not elected to the council, candidate Ray Hughes received six additional votes and candidate Adam Fontaine received one additional vote.
While recounts in general rarely lead to a change in outcome, Claremont residents do not need to look too far back in its history to find a significant exception.
In 2010, Claremont residents voted on whether to bond for a $22.9 million renovation of Stevens High School, in which the state was expected to provide 60 percent of the funding. Bond votes require at least a 60 percent majority of votes to pass.
The original vote, on Tuesday, March 10, 2010, initially appeared to pass, with 1,346 votes in favor and 894 votes against. However, a recount on Monday, March 16, completely flipped the table by single vote margin with 1,346 in favor and 897 against, falling short of passage by less than a one-thousandth of a percent.
Claremont voters would pass the renovation bond a couple of years later, though the state had put a moratorium on school building aid, forcing Claremont residents to front the entire cost.
Updated results
Here are the up-to-date vote totals that all seven at-large city council candidates received:
Nicholas Koloski, 963 (up from 960)
Lucas “Rocky” Beliveau, 823 (up from 822)
William Limoges, 794 (up from 791)
Matt Mooshian, 735 (up from 721)
Michael DeMars, 714 (up from 709)
Raymond Hughes III, 480 (up from 474)
Adam Fontaine, 345 (up from 344)
reporter @eagletimes.com
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