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WARREN -- Recounts by the Trumbull County Board of Elections changed no outcome in three tightly contested races from the Nov. 7 election.
The three races that qualified for automatic recounts were the Howland trustee race, with official results showing Frank Dillon leading Julie Altawil 1,549 to 1,542, a seven-vote difference; the Bristol Township fire and EMS 2-mill, five-year additional levy, which has 508 votes for and 504 votes against, a four- vote difference, according to official results; and the LaBrae Local School District permanent improvement 3-mill, five-year replacement levy, which has 1,055 votes for and 1,048 against, a seven-vote difference, official results show.
The recount was done by hand by two employees -- a Democrat and a Republican -- of the board of elections.
Together, the employees sifted through paper ballots making up 5% of the total votes cast in each race. One employee read the ballots while the other tallied the results with pen and paper.
The recount for the Howland trustee race showed no difference from the original results, officially sealing Dillon's victory.
Dillon found the recount process to be fascinating.
"I thought it was really interesting," Dillon said. "It's amazing, since the electronic world dominates everything, that it came down to this, a hand count of the votes, which was fair and equitable I believe."
A sense of wonder seemed to permeate the warehouse where the recount was held as none of the candidates present had been involved in such proceedings before.
"It's been interesting to see the process," LaBrae Superintendent Anthony Calderone said as he exited the facility after the district's permanent improvement levy was approved.
Calderone said funds from the levy will be used for renovating, remodeling, rehabilitating, furnishing and equipping school buildings and improving the school sites.
Calderone also said LaBrae Intermediate School soon will need a new roof. The revenue also will go toward addressing foundational issues and a "dire need" to repair the district's bus garage.
No representatives from Bristol attended the recount. The Bristol levy ballots were recounted both by hand and through the board of elections' ballot scanners, as no representative was available to waive the electronic recount.