Ward 2 recount confirms primary results: Soucy, Hough win

LACONIA — Voters will decide between incumbent Bob Soucy and challenger Gregg Hough to represent Ward 2 in the Municipal Election, after a Friday recount yielded the same results as on Tuesday.

Ahead of the election, city staff purchased and prepared new ballot counting machines, and they apparently worked without a hitch.

Hough beat Nicole Arsenault narrowly during the primary on Tuesday, and she submitted a written request for a recount on Wednesday afternoon. By the initial count, Hough earned 88 votes to Arsenault’s 84, and Soucy earned 116. 

“I’m glad with the outcome, it just confirms,” Arsenault said, noting it was a thin margin, and the ballot counting machines are accurate. 

Her experience has her feeling enthusiastic about staying engaged and involved with local government, she said, adding she’d consider another run in the future.

“It’s very possible, I don’t know if I’ll be in Ward 2 or not, but it’s a possibility.”

Hough said Friday afternoon he'd like to have a debate, between he and Soucy, and also between candidates in all city races.

"That's the best way for the people to know what they're getting, that's what its all about," he said. "The people of Ward 2 certainly deserve it."

Hough said he was happy to confirm the results of the primary, noting he had confidence in them from the start, and he's looking forward to the next six or seven weeks of campaigning.

"I'm just trying to still get the message out about transparency — these folks are not transparent," he said.

The city's general election is Tuesday, Nov. 4. 

The recount, conducted by City Clerk Katie Gargano, Assistant City Clerk Hilary Young and Ward 2 Moderator Lenny Miner, confirmed the initial election results.

The recount took 44 minutes, starting Friday at 9 a.m. in a smaller upstairs conference room at City Hall downtown.

Lois Kessin, a politically-engaged local citizen, attended the recount on Arsenault’s behalf. Arsenault was out of state Friday. Sue Higgins, who is married to Hough, attended on his behalf — he works for the United States Postal Service. Soucy attended the recount as well, though his first-place finish was not subject to speculation.

Others present were City Manager Kirk Beattie and Laconia Democrats Vice Chair Dan Hooberman.

Friday morning, Gargano heaved two large boxes onto the conference room table. One contained all ballots cast plus spoiled ballots, and the other contained 13 absentee ballots — there were 16 absentee ballots requested, and three were not returned.

Spoiled ballots are generated when a voter makes a mistake and requests a new one. Voters can request up to three replacements.

Miner, thumbing through ballots one by one, read aloud the votes selected and handed them to Young, who made three tidy piles. 

“Undervote means that there was a ballot cast with no candidate chosen,” Miner said during the process. 

Election staff are tasked with confirming a voter’s choice in instances where the bubble on the ballot is not perfectly filled in. 

“Clear intent was Robert Soucy?” Miner said while examining one ballot.

“Yeah,” Gargano affirmed.

Miner flicked the bottom of each ballot with his right thumb multiple times, ensuring no two ballots were stuck together. 

Just before 9:30 a.m. Friday, the election workers were counting each stack of ballots individually, and Gargano double-counted each stack, too. After another 15 minutes or so, the process was complete and results announced. 

A total of 291 votes were cast in Ward 2, or 18% of registered voters there, four points higher than the overall turnout in the city during the primary election. 

The recount in Ward 2 wasn’t the only one in recent years. 

In the General Election in 2018, Democrat Gail Ober appeared to beat Republican Richard Beaudoin by a slim margin for a seat representing Laconia in the Statehouse. Following a recount of ballots in that race, Beaudoin won by two votes. 

In November, 2018, a recount in the Ward 1 school board race confirmed Jennifer Ulrich’s win over Candace Knowlton — the initial count showed Ulrich finished ahead of Knowlton by only one vote, but the recount added an additional vote for Ulrich.

In the 2022 primary election for Belknap County sheriff, then-candidate Mike MacFadzen requested a recount of ballots after he finished second in that race to now-Sheriff Bill Wright, by just 152 votes.

That recount occurred at the State Archives in Concord, but MacFadzen conceded while the recount was underway. He is a candidate for Laconia City Council in Ward 1, and made it through the primary to the Municipal Election, where he will compete for the job against Jon Hildreth.