Stickers not seen as issue for Lynn mayoral primary

LYNN – Votes for write-in candidates or those designated by a special campaign sticker will be counted separately during the Sept. 15 primary election.Although concerns were raised that the stickers might jam or otherwise slow down the voting machines, city election officials say no problems are anticipated.”The voting machines sort the write-in and sticker-campaign votes and put them in a separate pile, which we then count by hand,” said Karen Richard from the city’s Election Office. “The scanner simply notes that there is a vote for a write-in or sticker candidate and sets them aside. We don’t expect any delays in getting the final results.”Mayoral candidate Judith Flanagan Kennedy’s name will not appear among the field of entries for the mayoral race due to her late entry. However, Kennedy is waging a sticker campaign with plans to distribute the stickers to potential supporters.Those who choose Kennedy as their mayoral candidate can affix the sticker or write in her name beneath the other two contenders, Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. and challenger David Rohnstock.Kennedy is also running as an incumbent in the councilor-at-large race and her name will appear among that field of candidates.Sticker campaigns are not new to Lynn. In fact, Kennedy won a School Committee seat in 1991 through a sticker campaign.According to Richard, other ward councilors have run sticker campaigns in the past.City Clerk Mary Audley, chairperson of the Election Commission, drew the ballot positions for the primary election on Aug. 6.The late Patrick McManus, former Lynn mayor and a candidate for this year’s race until his sudden death on July 10, was removed from the ballot after election officials received a copy of his death certificate. Kennedy declared her candidacy for mayor last week.The last day to register to vote in the primary election is Wednesday, Aug. 26, no later than 8 p.m. The primary is Sept. 15. The last day and hour to file for a recount is Monday, Sept. 21, by 5 p.m. Ballot positions for the November election will be drawn at City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 24.