Re-count Re-scheduled

The recount of votes cast in the August Democratic primary for the Ward 5 city council seat has been rescheduled for Sept. 9. Originally slated to take place this morning in the basement conference room of the County Building at 200 N. Main St., the recount was moved to Tuesday, Sept. 9, due to a scheduling conflict with the board of canvassers.

The original vote tally put Vivienne Armentrout’s total at 1,552, and Carsten Hohnke’s at 1,610. Six votes were counted for unspecified write-in candidates. Part of The Chronicle’s interest in being physically present at the recount is, if possible, to document what names, if any, were filled in the blank for write-ins. The tally simply reflects the fact that six voters darkened the oval next to “Write In” on the ballot. Because the physical paper ballots will be on site at the recount, The Chronicle hopes to give its readers a peek at those write-in names.

It’s worth noting that unless a candidate actually registers as a write-in, darkening the oval and writing in a name does not have the intended effect of putting a vote in that candidate’s column.

Nevertheless, we at The Chronicle have always been curious about what names voters fill in those blanks and we figure our readers are pretty much just like us. Staff at the county clerk’s office this morning could not guarantee with 100-percent certainty that this would be possible, but seemed optimistic that The Chronicle’s mission could be accomplished.

At a minimum, staff added us to the list of interested parties who could use a heads-up if the recount is rescheduled a second time (no one besides The Chronicle was there). Which is not to say that this morning’s trip to the county building was for naught: The Chronicle ran into Country Clerk Larry Kestenbaum and had a chance to exchange pleasantries before he headed off to a meeting.