Cortvriend, Driscoll re-elected to Portsmouth Water Board [update]

In a Portsmouth Water Board election where less than 1% of the eligible voters turned out, incumbents Terri Cortvriend (Commissioner) and Phil Driscoll (Clerk) were returned to office by huge margins.

In a District with 13,712 voters, there were just 50 ballots cast for a turnout of 0.36%. Cortvriend got 48 votes, while Driscoll received 46. The one write-in was a slate of "Anyone but Phil Driscoll" for Clerk and "Denis Coffey" for Commissioner.

Update: In their official press release this morning, the Portsmouth Water and Fire District said that the one write-in vote was for "Anyone," rather than what the election moderator, Fred Faerber read out, which was "Anyone but Phil Driscoll." When contacted about the discrepancy, General Manager William McGlinn said in an e-mail, "I was not at the Water Board election count, but have contacted our legal counsel who was present. He has indicated that the write-in ballot in question stated "anyone". Apparently, the moderator Pro Tem embellished the announcement as a joke."

I'm deeply disappointed in the PWFD. Reporters depend on the readout provided by election officials.