Recount In Tight Marblehead Light Commissioner Race

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead Town Clerk's Office will conduct its first election recount in 18 years on Monday after a tight race for Municipal Light Commissioner came down to 19 votes.

Marblehead Clerk Robin Michaud told Patch that Walter Homan petitioned for the recount and the petition was certified. She said there are no automatic recount triggers under town bylaws.

The clerk's office will be closed on Monday while the recount takes place.

The three-way race for two open spots on the Light Commission was a tight one with the official election results showing Michael Hull in first place with 2,797 votes, Jean-Jacques Yarmoff in second at 2,626 votes and Homan in third at 2,607.

Election results show nine ballots cast for other candidates and 3,663 blank ballots in the race.

According to Massachusetts General Law: "Each candidate for the office in question or person representing each side of a ballot question is allowed to witness the recount, accompanied by one or more counsel if desired.

"Each candidate or representative may also be represented by agents. Up to one agent for each officer or clerk reading the ballots or recording the votes is allowed. These agents must be appointed by the candidate or counsel in writing and have the right, along with the candidate and counsel, to watch and inspect the ballots, tally sheets and all other papers used in the recount, and to watch every individual act performed in connection with the recount.

"The general public may also witness the recount but cannot participate."

Driven by two tax override ballot questions, the June 21 annual town election drew a large turnout that forced the town to use photocopied ballots late in the day after it ran out of printed ballots.

Those photocopied ballots then had to be hand-counted because they could not be read by the ballot scanner.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)