Salem Ward 4 City Council Candidate Considers Recount Request

SALEM, MA — Salem Ward 4 City Council candidate Stephanie Rodriguez is considering a recount request after falling nine votes shy of a seat on Tuesday.

Rodriguez, who trailed Lev McClain by just one vote in the initial count Tuesday night before the gap rose to nine votes by the end of the night, said on Wednesday she was "looking into the process" of a possible recount.

"Thank you to all my supporters for turning out at the polls yesterday," she posted on her campaign page late Wednesday morning. "Additionally, I wanted to thank my opponent Lev McClain for a well-run campaign. Congratulations.

"Given the margin of victory, I am looking into the process of a recount. Will keep you all posted."

Rodriguez trails McClain 818 votes to 809 votes.

"I'm with a recount," Rodriguez posted in a video on her Facebook page when the results showed her one vote behind Tuesday night. "I need a margin. ... I'm not losing by one. ... I lost by one vote, which is hard for me to accept. ... Emotions are high."

The last Salem City Council race to lead to a recount was just two years ago when Ward 6 Councilor Megan Riccardi won by one vote against Jerry Ryan — where the slightest of margins withstood the recount.

In that case, the count remained 612-611 after the nearly five-hour-long recount process. There were two protested votes, with the board of registrars awarding one to each candidate. Attorneys also raised protests about absentee votes lacking postmarks and signatures on voter check-ins.

Ryan then filed a lawsuit that claimed at least one voter had not been unable to cast a vote despite arriving at his polling place 20 minutes before it closed. An injunction, nine-day trial, and two-month delay followed before Riccardi was sworn in as Ward Councilor on Jan. 9, 2020.

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(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.)

More Patch Coverage: Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll Re-Elected; Ward 4 Recount?