Libertarian gubernatorial primary still up in the air; candidates allege voter suppression | Local News | sentinelsource.com - Sierra Hubbard, Keene Sentinel:
Sept. 13, 2018 - "More than 24 hours after the polls closed in New Hampshire’s primary election Tuesday, Libertarian voters still didn’t know who their nominee for governor is.
"While vote totals posted on the N.H. Secretary of State’s website this morning show Jilletta Jarvis of Sandown as the victor with 574 votes to Bedford resident Aaron Day’s 486, both candidates are alleging Libertarians were disenfranchised at multiple polling places in the state....
"The tallying of Libertarian votes for the governor’s race continued throughout the day Wednesday, with no winner declared, though Jarvis began inching ahead as more precincts reported. Around 4:30 p.m., Jarvis posted on her professional Facebook page that she’d spoken with Day and they planned to wait for an official call from the state....
"'We both received multiple reports of people being denied a Libertarian Ballot, of people having to argue for their right to vote libertarian, or poll workers questioning if they really wanted to vote libertarian,' Jarvis wrote.... Jarvis told The Sentinel this morning that she received 16 reports of difficulties obtaining Libertarian ballots, including one in Keene and another in Winchester....
"Jim Tetreault, Winchester’s town clerk, said he did not receive any reports of difficulties regarding Libertarian ballots.... But he also noted that the town’s understanding, heading into Tuesday’s primary election, was that voters who were declared as Republican or Democrat could only take the ballot for their party.
"Under an exemption in state law, registered Republicans and Democrats were allowed to take a Libertarian ballot in this election.... Tetreault said the town didn’t know that....
"Jarvis said she’s requested from the Secretary of State’s office all of the write-in votes for governor on Republican and Democratic ballots. Voters told her that, because they couldn’t obtain a Libertarian ballot, they wrote in their candidates on other party ballots.
"When asked Wednesday evening for comment on the primary, Day wrote in a Facebook message that 'the race is still being contested due to massive voter suppression across the state.' Echoing Jarvis’ Facebook post, Day wrote that people were denied Libertarian ballots in towns across New Hampshire.... 'There are a number of people who settled for pulling a Republican ballot and then writing me in,' he wrote. He added he’s consulting legal counsel and plans to 'evaluate our options' on how to proceed."
Read more: https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/libertarian-gubernatorial-primary-still-up-in-the-air-candidates-allege/article_dc03a3fd-b742-5e85-8cd4-f697ce475cf4.html
'via Blog this'
Sept. 13, 2018 - "More than 24 hours after the polls closed in New Hampshire’s primary election Tuesday, Libertarian voters still didn’t know who their nominee for governor is.
"While vote totals posted on the N.H. Secretary of State’s website this morning show Jilletta Jarvis of Sandown as the victor with 574 votes to Bedford resident Aaron Day’s 486, both candidates are alleging Libertarians were disenfranchised at multiple polling places in the state....
"The tallying of Libertarian votes for the governor’s race continued throughout the day Wednesday, with no winner declared, though Jarvis began inching ahead as more precincts reported. Around 4:30 p.m., Jarvis posted on her professional Facebook page that she’d spoken with Day and they planned to wait for an official call from the state....
"'We both received multiple reports of people being denied a Libertarian Ballot, of people having to argue for their right to vote libertarian, or poll workers questioning if they really wanted to vote libertarian,' Jarvis wrote.... Jarvis told The Sentinel this morning that she received 16 reports of difficulties obtaining Libertarian ballots, including one in Keene and another in Winchester....
"Jim Tetreault, Winchester’s town clerk, said he did not receive any reports of difficulties regarding Libertarian ballots.... But he also noted that the town’s understanding, heading into Tuesday’s primary election, was that voters who were declared as Republican or Democrat could only take the ballot for their party.
"Under an exemption in state law, registered Republicans and Democrats were allowed to take a Libertarian ballot in this election.... Tetreault said the town didn’t know that....
"Jarvis said she’s requested from the Secretary of State’s office all of the write-in votes for governor on Republican and Democratic ballots. Voters told her that, because they couldn’t obtain a Libertarian ballot, they wrote in their candidates on other party ballots.
"When asked Wednesday evening for comment on the primary, Day wrote in a Facebook message that 'the race is still being contested due to massive voter suppression across the state.' Echoing Jarvis’ Facebook post, Day wrote that people were denied Libertarian ballots in towns across New Hampshire.... 'There are a number of people who settled for pulling a Republican ballot and then writing me in,' he wrote. He added he’s consulting legal counsel and plans to 'evaluate our options' on how to proceed."
Read more: https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/libertarian-gubernatorial-primary-still-up-in-the-air-candidates-allege/article_dc03a3fd-b742-5e85-8cd4-f697ce475cf4.html
'via Blog this'
On September 16, the LPNH tweeted: "Counting write-ins from the R/D ballots, the @LPNH gubernatorial primary was decided by 46 votes.
ReplyDelete@Jarvis4Gov: 630 - 51.9%
@AaronDayAtlas: 584 - 48.1%
1060 on the LP ballot, 154 write-ins, a total of 1214 votes. Every vote counts, even write-ins."