Shuffle Referendum: 'No' Gets a Majority, but Not Enough

Update 10:52 a.m.

The Registrars of Voters Office made a mistake in reporting the voting returns late Tuesday night: The "Yes" and "No" votes in District 5 were flipped.

"It is obvious that the 'No' figures were nearly twice as much as the 'Yes' figures [in District 5]," said Thomas Dunn, Democratic registrar of voters, in an interview this morning.

"We traced it [the error] back to a tally sheet," he said. "They were switched."

Randy Klein, an election observer for Stop the Shuffle, who was in the room at Darien High School when the votes were being counted, said it was obvious that the pile of "No" votes was larger than the "Yes" pile. He called the Registrars of Voters Office Wednesday morning after he saw a news report with the original District 5 figures, which had the "Yes" vote winning by a big margin.

Although the revised figures don't make a material difference in the outcome—there still aren't enough "No" votes to stop the $7 million Shuffle facilities plan from being implemented—being able to say that the "No" votes were over 60 percent of the total matters in showing how unpopular the Shuffle plan is, Klein said.

The "No" vote received 61 percent of the 4,055 votes counted in the election. The "Yes" side received 39 percent. (Until the District 5 votes were corrected, it appeared the "No" votes were only 56 percent.)

Dunn said that with the mistakes made in counting the referendum votes, a recount will be done Wednesday afternoon. It is possible that may mean additional, small changes in the vote figures.

Yes

No

Source: Darien Registars of Voters Office

Update 12:21 a.m., Wednesday:

A district-by-district breakdown of the vote:

Yes

No

Source: Darien Registars of Voters Office

Update 11:26 p.m., Tuesday:

With a vote of 1,767 in favor of the Shuffle and 2,288 opposed, there was not enough opposition in Tuesday's referendum to overturn the Representative Town Meeting's endorsement of the town facilities Shuffle plan.

The Darien Registrars of Voters office issued its preliminary vote totals at about 11:15 p.m.

There were a total of 4,059 voters casting ballots in the referendum, but four were thrown out because their intent was unreadable, said Thomas Dunn, the Democratic Registrar of Voters.

The remaining 4,055 votes included 16 tapayers who are not registered voters of Darien (and don't necessarily even live in town), and 162 absentee ballots.

Update 10:49 p.m.:

Both sides in the Shuffle referendum have issued statements in reaction to Tuesday evening's voting returns.

The Registrars of Voters Office has not yet come out with a preliminary voting tally.

Joe Pankowski of "Vote Yes Darien" emailed this statement:

"The Vote Yes Darien team had one objective, which was to see the RTM’s approval of the Mather Center not be overturned in the referendum.   Tonight, despite the headwinds of a poor economy, we have achieved this goal.   The Mather Center will now become a reality for our seniors, who have waited so long to move from their dilapidated building.  In addition, our children will benefit from educational and recreational programs after 3 p.m. each day.

"It’s going to be great for all of us.   I want to thank the members of the Vote Yes Darien team for all of their hard work in getting our positive message out to the voters.   I could not have worked with a more dedicated group.  I also congratulate our opponents for engaging us in a spirited debate over this important issue.  Thankfully, the debate has now concluded, so we can remove the yard signs and enjoy the holiday season."

Susan Vogel, a spokeswoman for "Stop the Shuffle" issued this further statement:

"The Board of Selectmen had two years to prove to town residents that the Shuffle was a good project for our community. In just one month, Stop the Shuffle was able to prove to over 60 percent of Darien voters, according to polling results, that this project was a mistake. [...]

"Stop the Shuffle would ike to thank the volunteers who gave countless hours of their time to our effort to overturn the Shuffle project."

Update 10:27 p.m.:

"Stop the Shuffle" forces have issued a statement conceding they lost the referendum, despite getting a clear majority of the votes cast.

"We appreciate the support of the many Darien citizens who assisted in bringing this important issue to a referendum and a public vote," said Susan Vogel, in a statement issued on behalf of the organization. "While not enough to overturn, the RTM's approval of the Shuffle, we expect the Board of Selectmen to take note of the results of today's vote and factor them into their plans to move forward."

Vogel said the organization would have a further comment when the Registrars of Voters Office comes out with the preliminary figures.

Registrars issued one statement of the vote totals to news organizations, but quickly found there was an error in the numbers. The registrars' office is still working on the exact figure, which they expect to be within a few hundred votes of their initial declaration of 1,592 "Yes" votes and 2,445 "No" votes.

At this point, registrars think some numbers for voting District 5 were assigned to the wrong sides, and another complication has occurred with the absentee ballot count for that district, said Thomas Dunn, the Democratic Registrar of Voters.

Update 9:54 p.m.:

First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said she was pleased by the victory of the pro-Shuffle side in the townwide referendum.

"I would like to say I had tremendous faith in the voters of Darien," she said. "Common sense and compassion won the day."

The cost of the referendum "is going to be just north of $15,000," Stevenson said.

"They worked hard," Stevenson said about the "No" forces. "I'm pleased for their participation in the process."

The Registrars of Voters office is now working on getting results for District 3, Stevens said.

Update 9:49 p.m.:

With two large precincts not yet counted, the unofficial tally that "Vote Yes Darien" was working with had 1,570 voters casting "No" votes and 1,030 voters checking off  "Yes."

But with 4,009 votes cast in the election, according to the Registrars of Voters Office, and the "No" side needing 3,112 votes, the "Yes" forces felt they achieved victory when unofficial "Yes" voting passed 897 votes.

Update 9:34 p.m.:

Based on preliminary numbers, Joe Pankowski, leader of the pro-Shuffle forces in the referendum, has declared victory.

Although his side didn't get a majority, enough "Yes" votes were cast to deny the "No" forces the 3,112 votes they needed for victory under town rules.

Not all results are in, as the Registrar of Voters office is looking over figures from a two remaining districts. But election observers from both sides stayed at each polling place to monitor the vote count and report back to their organizations.

"At this point it's impossible for them to win," Pankowski said. "We're very happy right here. Our whole goal is to make sure the Mather Center gets built."

Update 8:59 p.m.:

A total of 4,009 votes were cast in the Shuffle referendum, according to preliminary numbers from the Darien Registrars of Voters Office.

It will take 3,112 voters—more than 75 percent—of voters casting "No" votes, to sink the Shuffle plan.

No final results have yet come out of the Registrars of Voters Office here at Town Hall.

Update 3:46 p.m.:

Kathy Finnigan, a spokeswoman for Stop the Shuffle, said the voter turnout has been disappointing, but she and her group are still hopeful after voters return home from work they'll get to the polls early this evening.

Polling closes at 8 p.m., when the counting begins. Both sides will have people at each polling station to report back the vote totals.

As of 3 p.m., a total of 2,249 voters had gone to the polls. The "No" side will need 3,112 voters to get the project rejected.

"Obviously, we want the turnout to be more than that," Finnigan said. "We at this point are still working our phones. We'll be going to the train stations to find people on their way back to work. [...] We're hoping for a push at the end of the work day."

Joe Pankowski, head of Vote Yes Darien, said, "We're cautiously optimistic."

His group is working to get its supporters to the polls, he said. "We're hoping to win outright."

Update 3:36 p.m.:

Turnout so far for the Shuffle referendum is 2,249 voters as of 3 p.m., well short of the 3,112 "No" votes needed for rejection of the $6.9 million project.

Original article:

Today, Darien voters get to decide whether the town should spend $6.9 million to move the into the Annex and move out from there to the former town library building.

In order for the Shuffle plan approved by the Representative Town Meeting to be overturned, not only must a majority vote "No," but the total voting that way would have to exceed 25 percent of voters who were registered at the time of the last election. For this referendum, that would mean 3,112 votes need to be cast against the Shuffle in order for it to be rejected.

Polls, which opened at 6 a.m., won't close until 8 p.m. Voters should vote at their normal polling places. Parking is expected to be difficult.

Unlike most elections, schools are in session, so town officials have asked that voters take extra care while entering and leaving school polling places.

"Bus, car and pedestrian traffic is particularly high during arrival and dismissal times [at schools] and may cause parking and access challenges," First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said in a Dec. 5 news release. "Those times are as follows:

• Darien High School: 7:40 a.m. arrival, 2:20 p.m. dismissal
• Hindley and Tokeneke: 8:25 a.m. arrival, 2:55 p.m. dismissal
• Ox Ridge and Holmes: 9 a.m. arrival, 3:30 p.m. dismissal

Darien police will be at each school to try to prevent accidents. "Please be advised that parking is very limited at the schools when in session," Stevenson announced. "All normal parking rules are in effect unless otherwise directed by Darien Police personnel."

Darien residential property owners who are not residents may also participate in the referendum by voting at Town Hall, "where they will be asked to fill out an affidavit with proof of residency," Stevenson announced. "You must be a U.S. citizen to vote even if you are a residential property owner in Darien. Please direct any questions to the office of the First Selectman, 203-656-7338 or the Registrar of Voters, 203-656-7316."

Websites for each camp:

• Stop the Shuffle
• Vote Yes Darien

From the town website:

• Taxpayer Impact of BOE/Mather Community Center Renovation
• P&Z Commission Mandatory Referral, 2 Renshaw Rd.
• P&Z Commission Mandatory Referral, 35 Leroy Ave.
• Mather Community Center Cost Analysis
• BOE/Mather Community Center Presentation, 9.19.11
• Annual Debt Service & Outstanding Principal
• Bond Total
• Public Works Garage Remodel
• BOE Occupancy Comparison
• Town Facility Optimization