At-Large Post 2 Port Wentworth candidate petitions for vote recount
Lashawn Benton, who was a candidate for At-Large Post 2 in Port Wentworth has requested a recount and recanvas for votes cast in the Nov. 7 election. Benton lost to Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Barbee by just six votes.
In accordance with Georgia Code, upon formal request from a candidate, a vote can be recounted and recanvassed if the margin of victory is less than 0.5%. However, the margin of victory was − marginally − more than 0.5%. Benton received 49.68% of the votes, 460 votes out of the 926 cast, while Barbee received 50.32% of the votes, 466 votes cast. For Benton to be able to contest the vote and successfully get a recount, she would have had to have 463 votes ― just three more voters casting ballots in her favor.
"I wasn't at 0.5% of the victory margin, but there was too much suspicious activity with the other candidate polling and soliciting votes on election day," Benton said.
Benton is petitioning the Superior Court of Chatham County to order the State of Georgia to conduct a formal recount of the votes for the seat; order the state to conduct a formal recanvassing of the ballots cast, under the supervision of one person of Benton's choice; and to disqualify Barbee (or forfeiture of votes) from the election entirely due to alleged acts of "electioneering," including allegedly entering and campaigning inside a voting precinct on election day; and, allegedly possessing a firearm in close proximity to Rice Creek Elementary School, a polling location.
"I believe that the law is the law, and I believe that the law states that there's a percentage threshold that you must make before there's a recount, and she didn't make that," Barbee said. "The whole complaint is another opportunity for a loser to spread more lies to defame my character. No, I did not carry my gun on election day."
Port Wentworth Police Department said there were no police reports, nor any 911 calls made about an incident where Barbee had a gun on or near campus.
Benton has also claimed that she narrowly lost because people had been turned away at polling places. Billy Wooten, the supervisor of elections, said no voter had been turned away, except those who lived in unincorporated Chatham County and couldn't vote in a municipal election.
Shannon Fox, who said she lives on Crossgate, said that she was turned away from her polling location at the Preston B. Edwards Gymnasium.
"They first tried to tell me that I was unincorporated Chatham County. Then they looked at the maps and confirmed that I was District 4," Fox said.
Fox said she was also told there were no representatives to vote for her in her district; however while Shawn Randerwala was running for District 4 unopposed, there were two at-large seats up for vote.
"When I looked up my voting information it shows the correct district and polling location," Fox said. "I have voted in the past at this same location and never had an issue until now."
Wooten said they heard a report of one voter who allegedly had been turned away, however that was researched and they discovered that voter did in fact cast his vote.
Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Port Wentworth candidate petitions superior court for vote recount
