Campbell, Poland recount results in

A defeated candidate is
disappointed with those who failed to vote.

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

YOUNGS-TOWN — Nearly a month after the election, the results are final in two tight races: Campbell City Council’s 4th Ward and a seat on the Poland Board of Education.

Juanita Rich won by three votes in the Campbell race, beating Lewis Jackson Jr., the incumbent, 321-318.

Robert Shovlin was certified the winner of a seat on the Poland board, edging Jim Lavorini by six votes, 1,818-1,812. Neither was an incumbent.

“I’m glad it’s finally over,” Jackson said. “I’m tired of the recounts ... We had so many calls from people who said they supported me, but didn’t vote. That’s what bothers you the most — people not voting. Every vote counts.”

Rich also said she was pleased the counting is finished.

“It’s a long time,” she said. “It’s almost a month. It’s kind of frustrating to wait.”

Rich added that she had people tell her they supported her candidacy, but didn’t vote.

When the results were tallied on Election Day, Nov. 6, Jackson had a one-vote lead. But that didn’t include provisional votes which are cast by those who move into a new voting precinct, change their name [typically through marriage] or failed to provide a valid form of identification when they went to the polls.

Fourteen provisional votes turned the tide and gave Rich a three-vote lead.

The Mahoning County Board of Elections held recounts Tuesday in the two contests. Automatic recounts are held in races that are decided by 0.5 of a percent or less.

The recount didn’t change the outcome or Rich’s margin of victory.

Shovlin’s lead over Lavorini for the third and final Poland school board seat up for election last month shrunk, but the elections board officially declared him the winner Tuesday.

Shovlin held an 11-vote lead over Lavorini during the Nov. 6 count. That was cut to 10 votes after provisionals were included. Tuesday’s recount was the final count with Shovlin winning by six votes.

By state law, county boards of elections can’t open provisional ballots until 11 days after Election Day, which is a Saturday. In most cases, boards wait until the following Monday or Tuesday to open the ballots rather than give workers weekend overtime pay.

Automatic recounts require election boards to count all absentee and provisional ballots by hand. Also, the state requires election boards that use electronic, touch-screen machines — such as Mahoning County — to count by hand at least 3 percent of the vote using the machines’ paper count. If the hand count and the machine count aren’t exact, elections boards have to hand count every vote in that race.

That wasn’t the case with the Poland race because the four-vote change came from absentee votes.

The board chose one precinct from each race Tuesday for the paper count. It took about an hour to count and about another hour to roll up the paper ballots.

skolnick@vindy.com