Arlington Sets Recount Date For Town Election

ARLINGTON, MA — The Board of Registrars on Thursday announced the recount date for the Town Election. The recount will take place July 9 at Town Hall, with the process of organizing the ballots starting at 9 a.m.

The actual counting of ballots will not begin before 10:30 a.m. The public may observe from the balcony and are asked to wear face coverings when possible. Officials will limit the balcony's capacity to 25 percent.

The Select Board race and Town Meeting races in precincts 6 and 17 are being recounted. Each candidate may attend the recount and bring additional representatives as observers at the counting tables.

The Select Board race was decided by 88 votes, or less than 0.5 percent of the nearly 18,890 votes cast. Lenard Diggins edged out fellow newcomer Michaiah Healy for a three-year seat on the Board, and Diane Mahon was re-elected.

The state recommends a recount when the margin is less than 1 percent.

Shortly after the election, the Select Board approved the use of new voting equipment. Issues such as paper jams, counting errors and rejected ballots among the tabulating machines were reported in some precincts during the June 6 election.