Politics & Government
1-Vote Margin Heading Into Recount For 134th District Race
Democrat Sarah Keitt leads Republican Meghan McCloat 5,118 to 5,117, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State's office.
FAIRFIELD, CT — The recount to determine the winner of the state's 134th House District seat is scheduled for early next week in Fairfield and Trumbull, as the race currently hangs by a one-vote margin, according to the Secretary of State's office.
Democrat Sarah Keitt has 5,118 votes, while her opponent, Republican Meghan McCloat, has 5,117 votes, based on the unofficial tally by the Secretary of State. The winner will take over the 134th District post that was held by Republican Laura Devlin, who vacated the seat to run for lieutenant governor.
The unofficial numbers have changed over the past several days. At one point, McCloat held an edge of 5,050 votes to Keitt's 5,023 votes, according to the Secretary of State's website. But Keitt's campaign said that after a hand count of absentee ballots, Keitt held an 11-vote lead, 5,127 to 5,116.
Find out what's happening in Fairfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Both candidates welcomed the recount, but perhaps warily.
"It’s my hope that this recount will once and for all provide Sarah Keitt and I with accurate vote tallies from Fairfield as well as greater clarity on what transpired there on Election Day and the subsequent 48 hours," McCloat said in a statement.
Find out what's happening in Fairfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
She added, "Voters, too, deserve a full and transparent accounting of the results, and like them I am eager to see this process begin. Our elections deserve to be conducted with the highest level of integrity, following our process to the letter so that we can all be confident in the outcome and proceed together working in the best interests of our state."
Keitt's campaign told Patch that as of Friday, the recount was scheduled for Monday evening in Fairfield and Wednesday at noon in Trumbull, the two communities the district represents.
"I trust in the process, and we are going to let it play out," Keitt said in a statement. "The wonderful people of the 134th District deserve to have all their votes counted. After the automatic recount is complete, we will, of course, accept the results whichever way they turn out."
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