UPDATE: AG's Office Looking Into Election

UPDATE: The Eagle-Tribune spoke to Assistant Attorney General Matt Mavrogeorge Wednesday, who said his office was looking into the complaints they've received about the election but both he and Goodnow told the paper no formal investigation had been launched.

ORIGINAL STORY, WEDNESDAY: Tuesday's town and school election, which saw , is reportedly being investigated by the state attorney general's office.

Salem resident Maureen Hanlon, who was holding a sign supporting School Article 2 in front of Barron School between 5 and 8 p.m Tuesday, said she spoke with Mark Myrdek, an investigator of elections at the AG's office, about what she saw at the polls.

Hanlon said the Barron School polling site ran out of ballots around 5:30 p.m. 

"I started calling around people at other polling places and they were all saying the same thing," she said.

Later, Hanlon said about 20 more ballots arrived at Barron around 7:30 p.m., after polling hours had been extended. Shortly before 8, Hanlon said a man, who she believed was an election volunteer, came out from inside the building and announced that they only had 20 more ballots and if anyone beyond that wanted to vote, they wouldn't be able to.

Hanlon said Myrdek told her that his office is actively investigating what went on to see if any election laws were violated. Hanlon said Myrdek told her he had also been in contact with Town Moderator Chris Goodnow, Town Clerk Susan Wall and town legal counsel.

Myrdek did not immediately return a phone message left Wednesday.

Goodnow said he took the initiative this morning to contact both the attorney general's and the secretary of state's office about the ballot situation. He said he received a second call from the attorney general's office later in the day saying the office had received a number of complaints about the election.

In hindsight, he admitted that he probably should have gone to a commercial copier at 4 p.m. Tuesday and printed off 1,000 more ballots.

Goodnow reiterated that the town's infrastructure to be able to pull something like that off was lacking, but also accepted responsibility for the shortage of ballots.

"I believe the steps I took to deal with the situation were down the line proper and conformed to state election law," he said. "Unfortunately, that doesn't always provide the optimal outcome."

Goodnow said he plans to meet with the attorney general's office regarding the election.

Selectman Michael Lyons said he was thrilled with the turnout at the election and also believes Goodnow and other election officials acted properly.

"They did everything they could," Lyons said. "Nobody could have seen this coming."

Goodnow also said he believes he acted properly in extending the polling hours and was told that the secretary of state's office would back him "100 percent" if challenged on that point.

Deputy Secretary of State David M. Scanlan said if he had been in Goodnow's situation he likely would have done the same thing.

Scanlan said if people are upset with the results of the election, their recourse is to take their concerns to Superior Court.

Of the 6,836 votes cast, Goodnow said 5 percent had to be hand counted, and all of the proper counting procedures were followed. He said he was "comfortable" with the announced results of the election.