Connecticut:
Democrat Sarah Keitt Claims Victory In 134th House District Race
The race between Keitt and Republican Meghan McCloat came down to a recount, which McCloat is contesting with an elections complaint.
Alfred Branch | Nov 16, 2022 | 5:56 pm ET
FAIRFIELD, CT — Democrat Sarah Keitt claimed victory Wednesday in the state's 134th House District race, defeating Republican challenger Meghan McCloat by less than a dozen votes following a recount.
According to unofficial numbers from the Secretary of State's office, Keitt garnered 5,143 votes, while McCloat received 5,133. The district represents parts of Fairfield and Trumbull.
In Fairfield, Keitt unofficially received 3,697 votes, compared to McCloat's 3,657. The unofficial Trumbull tally was 1,446 for Keitt, and 1,476 for McCloat.
Keitt carried Fairfield, the hometown of both candidates, by 40 votes, while McCloat had a 30-vote edge in Trumbull, which ultimately was not enough for the victory.
"The voters have spoken," Keitt said in a statement. "After all of the ballots were carefully tallied and meticulously re-counted, I am thrilled to announce that I have won the race for State Representative in Connecticut’s 134th House district by 10 votes. This result demonstrates the truth of the statement, 'EVERY vote matters.'"
For her part, McCloat said she has drafted a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission against Fairfield Democratic Registrar Matthew Waggner, who McCloat accused of violating "multiple Connecticut State Election Laws that constitute Prohibited Acts according to Chapter 151 of the Connecticut General Statutes."
McCloat did not provide a copy of the draft complaint to Patch, but said that the "evidentiary attachments" would be made public in the event of an SEEC investigation.
"Alleged violations include unnecessary printing of photocopied ballots, improper chain of custody of official ballots, false statements on certificates and returns, improper voter count without an official moderator present, and tampering with ballots among other violations," McCloat said in a statement. "These violations, if corroborated, carry criminal penalties and should be the subject of investigation by the State Elections Enforcement Commission."
https://patch.com/connecticut/fairfield/democrat-sarah-keitt-claims-victory-134th-house-district-race
The election day count had Keitt trailing by 113 votes. Keitt called McCloat to concede the election. But eight days later, the cities of Trumbull and Fairfield announced that they had discovered batches of ballots that had not been counted. These new ballots put Keitt ahead.