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November 28, 2006

Update: E. Providence mayor still trails challenger / Photo

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Former Red Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, left, acts as an election recount observer for his father-in-law, Isadore Ramos, candidate for East Providence's council-at-large seat. Stephanie Brelsford, a Board of Elections worker, feeds ballots from the Rumford Towers precinct into the voting machine.

PROVIDENCE — Mayor Joseph Larisa Jr. gained a handful of votes, but the incumbent still trails former Assistant Supt. Isadore Ramos after today’s recount at the state Board of Elections headquarters.

While Larisa gained six votes after more than 16,000 ballots were hand fed through voting machinesy, he was still 16 votes behind his opponent.

Still, lingering issues for the state Board of Elections as well as a lawsuit filed by Larisa and Cranston mayoral candidate Allan Fung may change the outcome.

Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Fortunato Jr. will decide tomorrow whether candidates have access to ballots that were rejected by the voting machines. The state Supreme Court ruled last week that such ballots must be photocopied and set aside for public viewing.

There are more than 96 such ballots in the East Providence race.

Larisa has also asked Fortunato and the Board of Elections to reconsider including 31 provisional ballots – which he describes as ballots made by voters not at their designated polling places – to the tally.

As it stands with those ballots, only the voters’ choice for federal races was counted and their pick for local races was not.

Fortunato will hear arguments tomorrow morning. The state Board of Elections also plans to meet at 4 p.m. tomorrow.

The local Board of Canvassers will meet after that meeting to certify the election. A swearing-in ceremony has already been planned for Friday.

-- Journal staff writer Alisha A. Pina

Posted by Steve Peoples  at 4:23 PM | Permalink

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