Email
Print
Recount for Harmony, Mooresville
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: November 5, 2009
Iredell County Board of Elections workers are going to be busy counting votes over the next few days.
Separate recounts will have to be conducted in races in Harmony and Mooresville.
The Harmony matter involves the tie between incumbent Alderwoman Carolyn Moore and write-in candidate Gaither.
The two both finished with 26 votes, which was good enough for fourth place in the at-large race involving four seats.
If a tie remains after the recount and it is officially certified, the winner will likely be chosen by drawing the name of one of the two candidates from a hat.
The Mooresville situation also leaves the outcome uncertain.
Upstart political newcomer Chris Montgomery, a 40-year-old advertising representative, beat two-term incumbent Bill Thunberg in the town's mayoral race by a mere 16 votes out of 2,120 cast, which calculates to 0.7 percent.
And Iredell Board of Elections Director Becky Galliher said that any margin of victory of less than 1 percent triggers a state-mandated recount.
"It is automatic," Galliher said. "But Bill (Thunberg) called also to ask about it."
Montgomery said the recount does not necessarily worry him but it takes a little wind out of his sails.
"I mean, I thought I had it," he said. "And now there's this."
Though the race was nonpartisan, Montgomery and Thunberg are both Republicans and both claim to be politically conservative.
But Montgomery said he believes a couple of things played into his victory. He said that in talking with voters he discovered "the people were not being heard."
He also thinks a tie-breaking vote cast by Thunberg for the town to enter a consortium with the towns of Davidson and Cornelius to purchase cable company MI-Connection was a huge factor.
"I hate to say it, but I honestly think there were more people who voted against him then voted for me," Montgomery said. "I just don't think government should be involved in private enterprise and I think the vote reflected that."
In addition, Iredell elections officials will be told by state officials which three county precinct will serve as samples to check voting accuracy.
In those precincts, "hand-to-eye" counts will be conducted, according to Galliher.
"That is were we will look at the ballot of every voter and actually write down the candidate each of them voted for," Galliher said. "Then we'll count those votes again by hand."
No recount was needed in the single election in Statesville. It did not turn out to be the close race it looked like it was shaping up to be.
Incumbent at-large Statesville City Councilman John Gregory beat challenger Gene Houpe in five of the city's six precincts in a run-off election.
The candidates tied in the other precinct — in Ward 6 — by a count of 36-36.
Gregory also won the favor of early voters, outpolling Houpe 425 to 259.
Iredell Board of Elections Director Becky Galliher did not know yet how much the additional Statesville election will end up costing the taxpayers. She said she was too busy over the next few days with counting votes.
The final votes in all the elections will be certified next Tuesday on what is called canvas day.
Email
Print
