Delaware State News

DOVER — The Kent County Court of Canvass certified the results of last week’s elections Monday, ending any possibility of additional recounts after a recount last week reversed a state House race.

A mandated hand recount of absentee ballots Thursday turned a 31-vote defeat into a 50-vote win for Rep. Pamela J. Thornburg, R-Hartly, over Democratic challenger W. Charles "Trey" Paradee III, raising questions about what caused the machine miscount and whether it would impact other races.

But the Court of Canvass — Kent County Superior Court — ruled Monday that no other races were close enough to be affected by any problems with the ballots.

The margin of victory in Rep. Thornburg's and Mr. Paradee’s race was 0.27 percent, well under the 0.5 percent difference that statutorily triggers recount.

Commissioner of Elections Elaine Manlove said the cause of the problem was a misalignment between absentee ballots printed in-house and those printed by the office’s vendor, Texas-based Premier Election Solutions.

"It was a hair off," said Mrs. Manlove, which led to the scanning machine to misread the ballots.

Mrs. Manlove said the discrepancy was in the vendor-printed ballots.

She said the problem was only in three of the 30 different ballot styles in Kent County — ballots differ throughout polling places due to legislative and Kent County Levy Court districts that overlap.

One misaligned ballot was in Rep. Thornburg’s 29th District.

The others were in the 28th District — where Rep. William Carson, D-Smyrna, was unopposed — and the 33rd District, where Rep. Robert E. "Bobby" Walls, D-Milford, beat Republican Harold J. "Jack" Peterman by more than 7 percentage points.

Democrats picked up six seats in Tuesday’s election, including two in Kent County, vaulting them to a 25-16 majority after spending 24 years in the minority.

Mrs. Manlove said the elections office would review how to avoid this situation in any upcoming elections. One method would involve testing each different absentee-ballot style.

Paradee concedes after ballot recount

Delaware State News

DOVER — Kent County Democrats likely will not challenge the results of a mandated recount Thursday that overturned Tuesday’s election results that had Hartly-area Rep. Pamela J. Thornburg losing her seat to Democratic challenger W. Charles "Trey" Paradee III.

Also, the Department of Elections is attempting to determine how an 81-vote miscount swung the election from a 31-vote victory for Mr. Paradee to a 50-vote win for Rep. Thornburg.

Mr. Paradee said that he called Rep. Thornburg Friday to concede the race and congratulate her on her victory.

"It’s a little tough on my family," Mr. Paradee said of finding out he had lost the race. "I’m looking forward to focusing on growing my business and spending time with my children, making up for lost time.

"Running in 2010 is probably the last thing on my mind right now."

Election night results showed Mr. Paradee edging the eight-year incumbent Rep. Thornburg, 5,602 to 5,571. Because the margin of victory was less than 0.5 percent — it was 0.27 percent — state law mandates a hand recount of the 472 absentee votes.

The recount yielded a 50-vote win for Rep. Thornburg and triggered an investigation by the elections department that will continue throughout the weekend, Commissioner of Elections Elaine P. Manlove said.

"We have representatives from our absentee vending company here," Mrs. Manlove said. "I don’t believe it was the (absentee vote) scanner. I believe it’s something (wrong) with the ballot itself."

Mrs. Manlove said she could not elaborate further until the problem is conclusively identified. She expects to be before the Kent County Court of Canvass Monday to address any remaining issues, although she doesn’t expect the results of the race to change.

"As of right now, unfortunately, I think we have to let it be," said Kent County Democratic chairwoman Abby Betts. "It’s really disheartening and very unfortunate. We (thought) we had that race won … I cannot tell you how upset I am."

Ms. Betts said she was particularly frustrated since Mr. Paradee rode in the Return Day parade in Georgetown earlier Thursday, still the declared winner.

The recount, she said, should have taken place before the parade. State law requires that any recount take place two days after the general election, which would be the same as Return Day.

Absentee ballots are counted by a scanner on Election Day, then by hand if a recount is mandated. Mr. Paradee held a 257-215 lead in absentee ballots after Tuesday’s tally.

Rep. Thornburg described the past few days as "an emotional roller coaster ride" Thursday night and said she is excited to return to Dover for a fifth term, even though she will be serving in the minority.

Democrats picked up six seats in Tuesday’s election, including two in Kent County, vaulting them to a 25-16 majority after spending 24 years in the minority.

"I have such fabulous relationships with people in the other party and in the other chamber that I look forward to working together with them to address the problems facing my district and the state," said Rep. Thornburg, first elected in 2000.

Absentee ballots lead to 51-vote victory

Delaware State News

DOVER — Hartly-area Rep. Pamela J. Thornburg had a reversal of fortune Thursday night when the Kent County Court of Canvass overturned Tuesday’s election results that originally gave her Democratic challenger an upset victory.

Results showed Democrat W. Charles "Trey" Paradee III edging the eight-year incumbent by 31 votes, 5,602 to 5,571.

Because the margin of victory was less than 0.5 percent — it was 0.2 percent — state law mandated a hand recount of the 472 absentee votes.

State Commissioner of Elections Elaine P. Manlove said that after hand-counting the ballots, the Court of Canvass awarded a 50-vote win to Rep. Thornburg, an 81-vote swing.

"We’re all surprised and anxious to get to the bottom of this," Mrs. Manlove said. "We’re upset by it."

Rep. Thornburg said she was grocery shopping when she received a call from the elections office that the recount was ongoing.

"It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster ride," said Rep. Thornburg, first elected in 2000. "I was absolutely thrilled and shocked.

"You work hard and stand there Election Night as the results come in ... I found out I had lost and was very, very disappointed, but I accepted it. It was a Democratic year and I was swept up in it."

Mr. Paradee did not return calls seeking comment Thursday night.

The recount came on Return Day, a Delaware tradition in which the winners and losers of elections gather in Georgetown and ride in a parade together around The Circle while election results are read.

Mr. Paradee rode on the back of a convertible — still the declared winner Thursday afternoon — but Rep. Thornburg was not present.

The reversal was a rare bright spot for Republicans, who lost seven House seats and control of the chamber for the first time in 24 years, going from a 22-19 majority to a 26-15 minority as of Tuesday’s results.

The results were most shocking in Kent County, with Dover-area Republican representatives Donna D. Stone and Nancy H. Wagner also losing to Democratic challengers.

With Rep. Thornburg’s victory, the House now stands at 25-16, still in Democratic control.

Mrs. Manlove said the New Castle County Court of Canvass also recounted the absentee votes in the Bear House race between Republican incumbent Vincent A. Lofink and Democrat Earl Jaques, where the margin of Mr. Jaques’ victory was 48 votes, but the results remained the same.

Absentee ballots are counted by a scanner on Election Day, then by hand if a recount is mandated. Mr. Paradee held a 257-215 lead in absentee ballots after Tuesday’s tally.

Mrs. Manlove said she is frustrated by the 81-vote swing between the counts and the elections department will continue to investigate what caused the miscount.

Recounts in elections are not uncommon, but changing the results of a race has not happened in recent memory.

In 2000, there was a recount in the Republican primary for the gubernatorial nomination between John Burris and William Swain Lee. Mr. Lee lost by 46 votes, and that amount was confirmed in the recount.

In 2004, Sussex County Councilman Lynn Rogers, a Democrat, beat Republican A. Judson Bennett by 12 votes, but that lead shrank to three votes after a mandated recount.

That prompted a second recount in which the margin remained the same. Mr. Bennett briefly considered future action, but ultimately conceded the race.