On the WSESD site is reported the unofficial results of the March 7 school director election. For the Brattleboro 3 Year term only the vote for Kimberly Price is reported, though Jaci Reynolds was also on the ballot. A footnote indicates that Reynolds withdrew from the race before the election, but she presumably got some votes, and those should be reported.
I got the chance to do some homework on this issue in our Guilford Selectboard contest on Town Meeting Day. One of the three candidates for the 2 year seat announced before the election that she was “withdrawing,” but her name was already on the ballot, and, in fact, in absentee voting she had even already received some votes.
Checking with the Elections Division of the Vermont Secretary of State’s office, we determined that despite a candidate’s statement about withdrawing, there is no mechanism for changing a ballot, adding or removing a name, after the ballot has been finalized by the Town Clerk. As the official told us, the votes that candidate receives are still her votes, and should be appropriately recorded and reported.
Likewise, then, the votes Jaci Reynolds received were still “her votes” and should be reported.
