LYNN — A request from candidate for Ward 4 Councilor Natasha Megie-Maddrey for a recount of the ballots from the Nov. 2 election that declared her opponent, Richard Colucci, as the winner has been approved by the City Clerk’s Office.
Megie-Maddrey lost to Colucci by 56 votes, which she said is a small enough margin for her to feel a recount is needed. A recount will be held at the City Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 9 a.m.
“Because it was such a small margin, I just wanted to make sure that every vote was counted,” Megie-Maddrey said.
Megie-Maddrey said her niece had difficulty voting, with her name not being on the list of registered voters. After calling the election office, her niece was confirmed to be registered and able to vote, but her name was not on the list of people who voted that was sent out after the election.
As a first-time voter, since her niece is 18, Megie-Maddrey said this was not a great experience and she is worried other people went through similar situations.
“It’s just things like that. I don’t know how many people that happened to, but that’s what happened to my niece,” Megie-Maddrey said. “If you’re a first-time voter and you have that experience, you might not go back to vote another time. So, I just want to make sure everything is all good.”
Colucci said it is Megie-Maddrey’s prerogative to request a recount.
“We’ll have to just wait and see what happens,” Colucci said.
There will be about 20 people overseeing the recount, including the city’s four election commissioners, City Solicitor George Markopoulos, the two candidates and their attorneys, observers, and the City Hall election staff of readers, counters and runners.
There will also be a police officer present to escort the ballots and remain for the completion of the recount.
Megie-Maddrey said the request for the recount has nothing against the election office, saying everyone who works in that office has been very helpful and nice throughout this process.
“It’s just about making sure that everyone’s vote is counted,” Megie-Maddrey said. “I’m a fighter, so I’m going to fight until the end. I don’t give up.”
The recount is also open to the public.
