Message from Freddy Ard about the recount of June 1 primary for governor
Petition Requesting a Recount | Letter of Transmittal to Judge Fuhrmeister | Notice of Recount 06-14-2010 | 2010 Primary Election Ballot Resolution - As Adopted | Recount Order | Credentials for Elections Committee Members
Over the past several days, a number of developments have occurred relative to the June 1 Republican Primary Election. In the normal course of business for our party and specific to primary elections, the results of the unofficial counts produced from the polling places on the day of the election are further revised, as necessary, to include any provisional ballots which are to be counted. That process was completed on June 8, and the results certified accordingly. While that part of the process is routine, this has otherwise been anything but a routine primary election for our party.
As you know, the primary race for governor was extremely close. As I have stated in many conversations and interviews over the course of the past few days, if the election results were merely polling numbers, that race would have been described as a “statistical dead heat”. Since our primary process has provisions for a run-off when no candidate has received a majority of the vote, by the results of the statewide tabulation of results, and including the legal provisional ballots, Bradley Byrne and Robert Bentley would contend for our party’s nomination in the runoff. Those results showed Tim James trailing Robert Bentley by 167 votes for third place.
Widely speculated since the unofficial results were available, on June 9 Tim James submitted to the Alabama Republican Party, Secretary of State Beth Chapman, and each Republican Party county chairman in 40 of Alabama’s 67 counties (that was later expanded to all 67 counties) a petition requesting a recount of the vote for governor.
In response to the petition for recount submitted by Tim James (see link to Petition Requesting a Recount) to the Shelby County Republican Party, and accompanied by the resulting request for recount which I presented to Probate Judge Jim Fuhrmeister (see link to Letter of Transmittal to Judge Fuhrmeister), a Notice of Recount (see link to Notice of Recount) and a corresponding Order of Recount (see link to Recount Order) has been entered by Judge Fuhrmeister.
The Shelby County recount will take place on Wednesday, June 16, at 1:30pm at Sheriff’s Training Center, 543 McDow Road, Columbiana, Alabama 35051, having been preceded at 1:00pm by testing of all the machines involved.
Representing the Shelby County Republican Party, the members of the Elections Committee, as established by resolution on November 10, 2009 (see link to 2010 Primary Election Ballot Resolution - As Adopted) will be present for the recount. These members are: Judy Flannery, Lyle Mitchell, Andrew Plaster, Joe Sarver, and Freddy Ard (see link to Credentials for Elections Committee Members).
Shelby County election officials have coordinated each aspect of this process with your chairman, and have been most cooperative, diligent, and accommodating in doing so. Their objective, as is mine, is to ensure that this process is conducted fairly and above reproach. Upon conferring with Judge Furhmeister and Sheriff Curry, we all concurred that only trained poll workers, previously experienced in this election cycle, will be utilized, further maintaining the integrity of this proceeding. Some concerns have been expressed, and rightfully so, at the prospect of “volunteers” being called in to facilitate the recount process. While this option might have represented a cost savings to the Tim James campaign, the judgment of your Shelby County officials is uniformly insistent upon trained poll workers as stated herein.
On June 10, Secretary of State Beth Chapman conducted an informational session in Montgomery, primarily to brief probate judges and other election officials on the recount process. Speaking at that session along with Secretary Chapman were: Alabama Republican Party Chairman Mike Hubbard, Alabama Republican Party Legal Counsel Ed Allen, Attorney General Troy King, and Alabama Republican Party Executive Director John Ross, and representatives of Election Systems & Software (ES&S).
While this matter continues to resonate in the news, on the talk shows, around the water cooler, and in the blogs, you can be assured that your Shelby County election officials, state election officials, your representatives from the Shelby County Republican Party, and those from the Alabama Republican Party, have taken every measure and precaution to ensure a lawful, fair, and transparent recount of the June 1 primary election for Governor of the State of Alabama.
Freddy Ard
Chairman
Shelby County Republican Party
