Republican Scott Milne will not call for a recount of last Tuesday’s gubernatorial election, the candidate said Wednesday.
Milne acknowledged that incumbent Gov. Peter Shumlin received the most votes of any candidate for governor, but refused to concede. He left open the possibility of an appeal to the Legislature, which will formally elect the next governor because no candidate got a majority of the vote.
Milne said he will talk next week about how he believes the Legislature should vote in January. He has denied claims that he is lobbying legislators to vote for him.
Debate since the election has centered around whether lawmakers should vote for the candidate they choose or the one who won their legislative district. The legislature has elected the first-place finisher in every instance since 1853.
Milne said he decided not to call for a recount after seeing official results of the election, released by Secretary of State Jim Condos’ office. The results became official at a Wednesday meeting of the statewide canvassing committee, a largely ceremonial gathering of party chairs who sign the official results.
“I trust that Peter Shumlin won the plurality,” Milne said in a statement emailed after the canvassers met.
Shumlin won 46.4 percent of the vote, while Milne received 45.1 percent. Shumlin tallied 2,434 more votes than Milne.
Those totals show Shumlin is “one of the weakest of any incumbent governor seeking re-election in our history,” Milne said.
A recount would cost at least $50,000 or $60,000 according to Secretary of State Jim Condos’ office. Milne said “I do not believe that a recount is the best way to spend taxpayer dollars.”
When the meeting adjourned, Republican Party Chairman David Sunderland praised Milne’s performance in the election and his campaign.
“Looking back, he made the right decisions at every step of the way,” Sunderland said.
Sunderland said every election is different but if he were a legislator he would likely vote with his district.
“It’s a vote of conscience and a vote of constituents,” he said.
The election was encouraging for Republicans, who also scored an increase in the number of legislative seats for the first time in 14 years. Would Milne tarnish his reputation if he campaigns the Legislature for votes?
“That’s part of what he’s weighing,” Sunderland said.
Shumlin said at a news conference in Montpelier on Wednesday the candidate who received the most votes should be selected by the Legislature.
“Democracy matters,” he said. “I think Vermonters have a very deep commitment to fairness and they have always communicated to elected offices from all parties: ‘we do believe the person who gets the most votes in an election should serve us.’ And that’s what we have always upheld.”
Shumlin, then a state senator, was on the other side of the situation in 2002, when he ran against Progressive Anthony Pollina and Republican Brian Dubie in a three-way race for lieutenant governor. Dubie finished first with 41 percent of the votes.
“Both Anthony and I said, ‘Legislature, please elect the person who got the most votes,’” Shumlin recalled. “I know that other candidates have done that in the past, too. So listen, the person who gets the most votes in a democracy is the one that should serve that term.”
Condos’ office also presented a report Wednesday on voter turnout, which was historically low in last week’s election. By county, Essex had the lowest turnout with 39 percent. Grand Isle County had the highest, with 54 percent. In the city of Burlington, turnout was only 33 percent.
Turnout by county
Addison: 53 percent
Bennington: 46 percent
Caledonia: 44 percent
Chittenden: 41 percent
Essex: 39 percent
Franklin: 43 percent
Grand Isle: 54 percent
Lamoille: 45 percent
Orange: 48 percent
Orleans: 41 percent
Rutland: 47 percent
Washington: 50 percent
Windham: 40 percent
Windsor: 44 percent
Total: 45 percent
