State rep race results still unclear one week out

With one week since voters cast their ballots, the winner of the 2nd Plymouth district state representative race is still unclear. Incumbent state Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) has declared victory twice since Nov. 3 based on incomplete or unofficial tallies. However, the results, which are still not certified by the state, still show Gaskey’s Democratic challenger Sarah Hewins leading by a slim margin.

Gaskey released a statement asking the Secretary of the Commonwealth to investigate what he described as the Wareham Clerks Office’s “errors” in reporting the results. He said that he received a spreadsheet of unofficial results from Town Clerk Lisa Johnson on Nov. 6 that showed him gaining 171 votes after more mail-in ballots were counted. But on Nov. 9, that number had gone down to 41 votes gained.

“[V]oters deserve an accurate count and a full explanation when the numbers provided by election officials inexplicably changed enough to reverse the apparent outcome,” Gaskey said in a statement published to Facebook.

Secretary of the Commonwealth spokesperson Debra O’Malley said that difference was likely caused by “data entry errors” and that any results the candidates get before the state certifies them are unofficial. She said that the office’s election director spoke with Gaskey and his legal team on Nov. 9

In his statement, Gaskey criticized the Clerks Office for letting the errors slip through, even if they were mistypes. O’Malley said, however, that Gaskey had photos of the results which lined up with those given on Nov. 9.

O’Malley said that both Gaskey and Hewins have requested petitions for a recount, which has to be requested by Nov. 13. “If [Gaskey] has reason to think the results are not right, he can pursue a recount,” she said.

The unofficial results provided by the Wareham Clerks Office on Nov. 9 show Hewins leading the town by 718 votes, with a vote total of 5,306 to Gaskey’s 4,588.

But Hewins isn’t holding her breath. “Things are still fluid as far as I know,” she said. “I am eagerly awaiting the certified, actual vote. And I, along with many people, am not sure when that will exactly be.”

Gaskey, who represents a district that covers all of Wareham and Carver and part of Middleboro, declared victory on Nov. 3 after only the results from Carver and Middleboro were released. He then stated he won again on Nov. 6 with a 64-vote margin of victory.

Voters will likely remain in the dark until the final votes are tallied and certified. Overseas mail-in ballots and provisional ballots will still be counted until Nov. 13.

Wareham Week has reached out to Johnson by email for comment.