PROVIDENCE — Recounts conducted on Monday failed to change the results of close primary elections for the Providence City Council and General Assembly, a state Board of Elections spokesman said.
“This shows that every vote counts because some of these races were decided by a handful of votes,” said John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island. “But also, it shows that our voting system held up to the scrutiny of a recount.”
Two City Council races were close enough to qualify for refeeding the paper ballots through the voting machines.
In the Providence City Council Ward 3 Democratic primary, a recount showed Susan R. AnderBois topped Corey D. Jones by 28 votes. AnderBois ended up with 1,245 votes, followed by Jones with 1,217 votes, and Bradly J. VanDerStad with 267 votes.
Advertisement
AnderBois will now face Michael Fink in the Nov. 8 general election as they compete to replace Providence City Council member Nirva LaFortune, who lost in the Providence mayoral race.
In the Providence City Council Ward 12 Democratic primary, a recount showed Althea A. Graves beat Belen Florez by 13 votes. Graves ended up with 283 votes, followed by Florez with 270 votes, and Joseph F. Cornwall with 188 votes.
Graves will now face independent candidate Seangsouk Keobouthanh on Nov. 8 as they compete to succeed City Council member Kat Kerwin, who did not seek re-election.
Five other races were close enough to have the Board of Elections re-read the memory sticks containing the election results. Again, the winners remained the same.
In the House of Representatives District 57, Brandon T. Voas held onto a 33-vote margin in a Democratic primary against Representative James N. McLaughlin, a 12-year incumbent from Cumberland. Voas ended up with 674 votes, followed by McLaughlin with 641.
In the House of Representatives District 58, Cherie L. Cruz won a four-way Democratic primary, topping George P. Hovarth by 44 votes. Cruz ended up with 367 votes, followed by Hovarth with 323 votes, Maribel Echeverry McLaughlin with 321 votes, and Matthew P. Carvalho with 93 votes.
Advertisement
Cruz is running for the seat being vacated by Representative Carlos E. Tobon, a Pawtucket Democrat who did not seek re-election after being the subject of a WPRI-Channel 12 investigation.
In the Providence City Council Ward 4 Democratic primary, Justin M. Roias beat Joseph A. Casoli by 43 votes. Roias ended up with 574 votes, followed by Casoli with 531 votes. They were vying to succeed term-limited Providence City Council member Nicholas Narducci.
In the Providence City Council Ward 10 Democratic primary, Providence City Council member Pedro J. Espinal withstood a challenge from Natalia D. Rosa Sosa by 51 votes. Espinal ended up with 661 votes, followed by Rosa Sosa with 610 votes.
In the Providence City Council Ward 14 Democratic primary, Shelley Tracee Peterson topped Andrew R. Poyant by 28 votes. Peterson ended up with 450 votes, followed by Poyant with 422 votes, and Patrick Timothy Griffin at 274 votes.
They were vying to succeed term-limited Providence City Council member David Salvatore, who lost in the state Senate District 5 primary.
Two other candidates requested recounts, but the results were not close enough to qualify.
In the state Senate District 29 Democrat primary, Jennifer T. Rourke, a co-founder of the Rhode Island Political Cooperative, beat Michael C. Carreiro, president of the Warwick firefighters union, by 259 votes. Rourke ended up with 1,588 votes, followed by Carreiro with 1,329 votes.
Advertisement
They were vying to succeed Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey, a Warwick Democratic who stepped down after 28 years in the Senate.
In the Providence City Council Ward 15 Democratic primary, Providence City Council member Oscar O. Vargas beat Santos Javier by 183 votes. Vargas ended up with 615 votes, followed by Javier with 432 votes.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.