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Defeated candidate seeks recount of votes
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Posted on Nov 30 1999
Juanita Mundo Taisacan, defeated write-in candidate for the Board of Education seat in the First Senatorial District, has asked the Superior Court to order the Board of Elections to conduct a recount of all the votes cast in the Nov. 6, 1999 elections.
In a complaint filed before the court, Ms. Taisacan claimed the board erred in the tabulation of votes, causing her defeat to reelectionist Marja Lee Taitano.
Ms. Taisacan said she should have been certified as the duly elected representative of Rota to the education board. She wants the hearing in the island municipality.
Initial results of the election tally showed that Ms. Taisacan edged Ms. Taitano by 12 votes, or 345 votes against 333.
But in the final count, Ms. Taisacan’s votes went down to 328, while Ms. Taitano’s increased to 349, including the absentee votes.
BOE Executive Director Gregorio Sablan has explained that the board’s central office decided to recount the ballots because of disputes over Taisacan’s identity.
A total of 128 initially counted in favor of Ms. Taisacan were thrown out “due to technicalities,” said Sablan. Some of the votes cast had the name ‘Juanita Mundo.’
To clarify matters, the BOE asked whether there’s another Juanita Mundo registered in Rota. It turned out that she’s the only Juanita Mundo Taisacan.
However, the board decided to consider only the “full legal name” of Ms. Taisacan as her valid identity. Some voters even wrote the name Juanet Taisacan which is not even her full legal name.
