PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                                                                                December 8, 2012

Request Filed for Recount of Springfield Township Committee Election

On Friday, December 7, 2012, the required paperwork was filed with the Superior Court of New Jersey in Union County requesting a recount of the ballots cast for the four candidates for the office of Member of Township Committee.

The Union County Board of Elections certified the results on November 26, 2012, twenty days after the election, declaring David Barnett and Margaret Bandrowski the winners by a very narrow margin.  However, since Election Day on November 6, the unofficial election results have changed and voters have come forward with concerns about voting irregularities.  Additionally, many untraditional ballots were cast by mail, fax, electronically and provisionally that have caused variations in the final count.

Springfield Republican Committee Chairman Harold Poltrock commented, “We owe it to the voters to ensure the accuracy of the results.”  More than 7,000 residents voted this year.  While there was a difference of nearly 700 votes in Springfield at the top of the ticket for the presidential race, just five votes affect the outcome of the local results.

Candidates for Township Committee Jerry Fernandez and Marc Krauss issued a joint statement, “When such a small number of votes will decide who takes office for the next three years, this recount is important to verify the results so residents have confidence in the outcome of this most unusual election.  We did not take this decision lightly but we hope this process is quickly concluded to give everyone closure and allow the Township Committee to have a smooth transition into 2013.  We are most grateful to those who stood by us throughout the years and continue to support us.”

Fernandez and Krauss are being represented by attorney James M. Foerst of Spector Foerst & Associates.

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