Story posted Thursday, February 4, 2010
Will Green Candidate Seek Recount?
By TIM O'CONNOR Journal & Topics Reporter
Des Plaines resident Richard Dalka lost the Green Party primary Tuesday for Cook County Commissioner 17th District by six votes.
Dalka trailed opponent Matthew Ogean 57 to 51.
"I'm disappointed it's this close," Dalka said. "But there's not a whole lot I can do about it."
Dalka theorized that Ogean won because the "O" in Ogean's name may have led voters to believe he had Irish heritage, which he said some voters might have preferred.
But the 1981 Maine West High School graduate said 17th District residents should have picked him because of his vow to quickly roll back the county's sales tax.
"I don't think they realize what they've done," Dalka said of voters. "Things are going to get a lot worse if I'm not in there." Because the race is so close Dalka said he might seek a recount.
According to the Cook County Clerk's Office, a losing candidate who has at least 95% of the number of votes as the winning candidate may request a discovery recount. Dalka has 89% of the number of votes as Ogean.
A discovery recount allows the losing candidate to petition the county clerk's office to recount ballots in up to 25% of the precincts in the district. The losing candidate chooses which precincts will be recounted at a cost of $10 per precinct. The deadline to file for a discovery recount is Mar. 1.
The discovery recount will not change the results of an election, but can be used as evidence to petition the circuit court for a recount. A candidate must file a lawsuit in the circuit court within 10 days of the proclamation of results to contest an election.
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