Board of Elections certifies Serodio’s narrow House 64 seat victory

Following recount by opponent O’Connell of 12-vote margin

By Mike Rego
Posted 9/20/18

Jose Serodio was officially declared the winner of the Democratic primary election for the State Representative District 64 seat, his narrow, 777-765 victory certified by the Rhode Island State Board …

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Board of Elections certifies Serodio’s narrow House 64 seat victory

Following recount by opponent O’Connell of 12-vote margin

Posted

Jose Serodio was officially declared the winner of the Democratic primary election for the State Representative District 64 seat, his narrow, 777-765 victory certified by the Rhode Island State Board of Elections last week following a recount requested by challenger David O’Connell.

“The recount was OK with me. I only needed one vote to win, and I got more than one vote. One is what counts,” Mr. Serodio said of his victory.

“Obviously two years down the road I will do better,” he continued, referring to his potential re-election bid in 2020. “I’ve only been at this since May 31. Three months is a very short period of time. Next time around I will do better.”

(See attachment for complete BOE recount results)

Mr. Serodio’s 12-vote triumph, among the closest results from around the state in the September 12 primary, was unchanged. He received 777 votes the day of the election and that number stayed the same following the recount. Likewise, Mr. O’Connell’s total of 765 votes went unchanged upon further scrutiny.

“If I lost by one or two votes, I would have had more hope that the votes of one or two people or one or two machines would change,” Mr. O’Connell said. “But 13 votes is a lot to get out of 1,542 votes. It’s still a pretty high number, so I wasn’t surprised at all by the recount.”

With no Republican or Independent candidate in the race, Mr. Serodio is all but assured of assuming the District 64 seat, composed of wards mostly in the center of the city, upon the results of the November 6 general election. He will succeed out-going Rep. Helder Cunha, the former city councilor who opted not to seek re-election after just one term in office. The seat was long held by Helio Melo, who retired from electoral politics for the moment back in 2016.

“The people of District 64 should know I’m going to listen to them. I’m going to serve them 100 percent,” Mr. Serodio added. “I’m going to represent the people who voted for me. I’m going to represent the people who didn’t vote for me. I’m going to represent all of them 100 percent, period.”

Mr. O’Connell actually won two of District 64’s three precincts, claiming the St. Francis Church polling place 241-185 and Martin Middle School 261-258. He also received more mail-in ballots, 63-55. Mr. Serodio’s winning difference came from his victorious showing at the Hennessey School precinct 278-199.

“I fought a good race. It was my first time into things and it was quite an adventure. Overall, it was a thrilling experience. It was quite a challenge, a lot of hard work and sacrifice by me and particularly my family,” Mr. O’Connell said. “Of course, I expected to win. It’s disappointing to lose. I guess it’s better than losing by 500 votes. It was close, but close is not winning. But it’s still encouraging for what I might attempt in the future.

“That’s life. It easy to win. It’s tough to lose. I plan to lose with dignity and integrity. I wish the best for my opponent going forward. I hope he is a strong advocate for what’s best for the people of Rhode Island and the residents of East Providence, especially.”

The results from the contest primary night were delayed slightly because of problems tallying the votes at St. Francis Church. The discs from the machines were sent to the Board of Elections, where they were read and counted giving Mr. Serodio the same, initial 12-vote margin of victory.

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