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Surovell Requests Recount

Surovell Requests Recount image
Parent Issue
Day
27
Month
February
Year
1989
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
OCR Text

Surovell requests recount

Edward Surovell, a loser by three votes to Verna Spayth in Ann Arbor’s Fifth Ward Democratic primary for City Council last Monday, filed a request for a recount this morning with the city clerk’s office.

“We think we came across enough instances of procedural and technical problems and voter confusion to warrant a careful examination of all the voting machines and absentee ballots,” said Surovell.

He said his poll workers reported problems or confusion in six of the ward’s 15 precincts.

Ann Arbor City Clerk Winifred Northcross, who said the recount will delay getting all the Fifth Ward ballots printed for the April 3 general city election, immediately forwarded Surovell’s recount request to the Washtenaw County Clerk’s office.

The recount, if approved, would be conducted by the Washtenaw County Board of Canvassers. It will cost Surovell $10 for each of the 15 precincts, plus another $10 to recount absentee ballots.

“The board planned for this possibility,” said County Elections Director Mildred Crawford. “We want to get it over and done with as soon as possible, possibly on Friday morning.”

According to unofficial returns reported by precinct workers to the city clerk’s office last Monday night, Spayth had edged Surovell by a vote of 435-434.

But the Ann Arbor Board of Canvassers, meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, discovered a two-vote error in Spayth’s favor and certified her as the winner, 437-434. The board also documented two procedural errors but said they had no impact on the vote total.