BRENTWOOD — Twenty-seven unopened absentee ballots could tip an election in Brentwood, where the New Hampshire House of Representatives race was decided Monday by just 15 votes.
A recount conducted Thursday in Concord initially confirmed the victory of Democrat Eric Turer with 1,213 votes for the Rockingham County State House District 6 seat, surpassing incumbent Republican State Representative Melissa Litchfield’s 1,198 votes. However, an examination of the voting material by the secretary of state revealed that the 27 absentee ballots were never opened or counted.
The result, when resolved, could have an impact on which party has the majority in the House, which the Republicans have by a very narrow margin.
“Because these 27 ballots have the potential to change the outcome of this race, the Ballot Law Commission will be asked to order that these ballots be counted,” according to a statement from Secretary of State David Scanlan on Thursday.
Scanlan’s statement said the absentee ballot materials were sealed in boxes by Brentwood election officials and transferred to the secretary of state’s office. The 27 unopened ballots were marked “vote” on the control list and the clerk’s absentee ballot list, but the absentee ballots were not removed from the envelopes, cast or counted.
Anna Fay, a spokeswoman for the secretary of state, said the office does not know at this time why the ballots were not removed from their envelopes.
What does the Turer vs. race mean? Litchfield at NH House
The final result of the contest between Turer and Litchfield could help determine the balance of power in the 400-member New Hampshire House.
After the November 8 general election, the Republicans appeared to have a 203-107 lead, retaining a majority. However, two recount races earlier this week gave the results to the Democrats. And a recount in a race initially won by Rochester Republican David Walker by one vote over incumbent Democratic Rep. Chuck Grassie resulted in a tie. That cut the GOP lead to 200-199, pending the outcome, which is yet to be determined.
More recounts are taking place this week and next that could also affect majority control of the House.
Longtime Brentwood city moderator thinks he made a mistake
Brentwood Town moderator Richard Chamberlain, who has held his position for 41 years, said he believes the 27 unopened absentee ballots were the result of an honest mistake on his part. He can’t remember exactly what he did with the envelopes, but he thinks he may have accidentally placed them in the box with the empty envelopes open.
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“But they weren’t empty envelopes,” Chamberlain said. On Tuesday night, Chamberlain spoke at the City Selectboard meeting about him to reveal that he may have caused the problem in an attempt at transparency. He said he and the city clerk now plan to appear before the state’s Ballot Law Commission on November 28 for its next meeting, when its members will vote on adding the ballots to the race’s vote count.
“I do not know for sure. I think that’s the only answer I can think of,” Chamberlain said. “This is the first time I have had this kind of experience.”
Turer said he learned from the secretary of state that the ballots required a formal request to be added to the race. Turer said he and Litchfield have since agreed to send a letter to the commission asking for the ballots to be counted.
“It’s unfortunate that this is happening,” Turer said. “I think the city moderator and the city clerk feel very bad about that.”
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Litchfield could not be reached for comment Thursday. Turer said the uncertainty of his election has not stopped the process of inducting him into his new position in the state House. He attended a Democratic caucus meeting in Concord on Thursday, technically the official winner of the House seat. He will have ousted an incumbent in Litchfield if the 27 votes don’t change the outcome.
“But of course I have this hanging over my head,” Turer said.