SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO HOLD FIRST MEETING IN UNRAVELING LONG ISLAND PHANTOM BALLOT MYSTERY

Posted: December 08, 2014 | Front Page, News Items, Senator Diamond, Senator Gerzofsky, Senator Hill

Long Island elections clerk to testify before 7-member panel

 

AUGUSTA–The special legislative committee will hold its first substantive meeting tomorrow in pursuit of what happened in the Senate District 25 race that led to 21 phantom ballots and a host of other voting irregularities.

 

Democrats have been calling for an investigation since 21 untraceable or “phantom ballots” appeared at the recount of the SD 25 race. These 21 ballots push the total number of ballots cast in the SD 25 race to 192 ballots–yet there were only 171 voters who voted according to the Long Island voter manifest.

 

WHEN: Tomorrow, Tuesday, December 9th at 9:00 a.m.

 

WHERE: Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, Room 437 | State House | Augusta OR click here to live stream.

 

WHO: 7-member legislative committee including Democratic Senators Dawn Hill, Bill Diamond, and Stan Gerzofsky and Republican Senators Roger Katz (chair), Tom Saviello, Garrett Mason, Andre Cushing.

 

On Election Day, Breen was declared the winner by a 7-margin victory. The next day, the overseas ballots were counted pushing Breen’s lead up to a 32-vote margin.

 

After the recount, and the discovery of 21 untraceable ballots, there was a 43-vote swing and Manchester appeared to be ahead by 11 votes. Democratic attorneys did not sign off on the recount results and contested the Long Island votes as well as three other irregularities:

 

  • 10 missing ballots (6 from Westbrook Wards 1 & 4 (not 5), 4 from Cumberland)

  • 9 disputed ballots (voter intent not clear to recount volunteer)

  • 3 machine counted ballots from Gray that switched from Breen to Manchester

 

According to Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, after the recount, Cathy Breen was summoned to be provisionally seated.

 

Last week, Senate Republicans disregarded the official recommendation of Secretary of State Dunlap to provisionally seat Cathy Breen and instead, through special Senate order, provisionally sat Cathy Manchester. Breen had released a statement earlier in the day saying that she “will not be taking [her] seat in the Senate Chamber until this matter is properly and thoroughly investigated before the legislative session begins in January…A dark cloud remains over the recount results [and] [u]ntil that mystery is solved and we know why there were 21 more ballots than voters, I believe no one should occupy that seat.”

 

After Manchester was seated, Breen said she “believes this decision disrespects the people of SD 25…voters deserve to know that the person representing them in Augusta is there legally—not because of some ad hoc political whim.”

 

Background materials:

  • Timeline of events from Election Day to recount to swearing in day, click here.

  • Letter from Breen to the Legislature re: scope of the investigation, click here.

  • Letter to Senators-elect re: provisional seating, click here.