A bid to recount the votes cast in the city’s referendum on charter change has failed. State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Nolan ruled on Feb. 6 that “the petitioner presents no facts to support or justify” a recount of the November 2017 vote because there is no law that requires the Saratoga County Board of Elections to do so when the vote margin is slim. Gordon Boyd, a member of the now defunct Charter Review Commission, was looking for a recount after the proposal to update the city’s 100-year-old commission form of government was defeated by 10 votes.
“We disagree with the judge’s decision,” Boyd said. “We disagree with the policy followed by the Board of Elections. The majority of the states and many of the counties in the state re-examine paper ballots when it’s a dead heat at the ballot box, but not Saratoga County.”
After the November vote, Boyd petitioned county Board of Election Commissioners William Fruci and Roger Schiera with a Freedom of Information Law request, seeking the electronic tif files of every ballot. When his request was denied, Boyd filed suit.
Full Article: Charter change recount loses court battle – Times Union.