Published: 11/16/2021 5:28:45 PM
AMHERST — A hand recount of about 950 ballots cast in District 4, to determine the outcome of the district council race at the town’s Nov. 2 biennial election, will take place Nov. 23 at 10 a.m.
Town Clerk Sue Audette said Tuesday that the recount, set by the Board of Registrars, will be held at the Large Activity Room in the Bangs Community Center.
The recount comes following a request from Evan Ross, an incumbent councilor, who, based on unofficial results released by the town clerk’s office on election night, narrowly lost his reelection bid to challenger Pamela Rooney. Ross received 451 votes to Rooney’s 454. Both were behind the 568 votes picked up by Anika Lopes.
The top two vote getters in each district win seats on the 13-member Town Council.
Since election night, Rooney’s edge has grown to a five-vote margin based on ballots that were not counted that night.
Audette said she will have four teams of eight people manually counting. Based on information from town attorney KP Law, she expects about 50 ballots to be counted every 20 minutes.