With more than 43,000 votes cast (and mostly counted) across Newport County, we are one step closer to knowing who will represent voters in Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth, Jamestown, Tiverton, and Little Compton.
As a reminder, we are still waiting on results from mail ballots that were dropped off on Election Day, and some mail ballots leftover from Tuesday. We expect to see some of those results today.
It is unclear on how many votes that we’re still waiting on in any particular community or race.
All results below were last updated at 4:10 pm on November 4. This story was last updated at 6:20 pm on November 4th. It will be updated.
12 pm (Nov. 6)
Tracy Nelson, Canvassing Clerk for the City of Newport, shared the following data during a brief Canvassing meeting this morning.
Out of 105 provisional ballots cast on Tuesday, 49 will be counted in a full vote. 11 will count in the federal race, and 45 will be disqualified.
Nelson said most of the disqualified ballots is because the person filling them out was not registered and did a provisional at a polling place instead of voting at City Hall (where they would have been able to vote in the presidential race only).
Here’s how the break down for provisional ballots by precincts.
Total / full ballot counted/federal ballot counted/disqualified
2101 – 8/5/1/2
2102 – 39/12/8/19
2103 – 2/1/0/1
2104 – 1/1/0/0
2105 – 14/4/0/10
2106- 20/15/0/5
2107 – 11/6/1/4
2108 – 8/5/1/2
2109 – 2/0/0/2
Total – 105/49/11/45
Nelson also told that the Canvassing Authority that she is planning to conduct a recount the week of November 16th because races are so tight.
Nelson said she is aware that the results of 60 mail ballots, 49 provisional ballots, and an unknown number of ballots dropped off at precincts on Election day to still count.
The RI Board of Elections tweeted today,” this afternoon, we will include on our website additional results from mail ballots received by the deadline, and drop box mail ballots. Over the next several days we will include results from provisional ballots, military/overseas voters, and mail ballots cured by voters.”
6:21 pm (Nov. 4)
Tracy Nelson, Canvassing Clerk for the City of Newport sent the following message to candidates at 5:49 pm.
“Trying to keep everyone as informed as possible, so here’s the latest:
The board of elections updated their website at 4:10 PM, but I have been advised that these results DO NOT include any of Newport’s mail ballots from the drop boxes (city hall and 9 polling locations). Because we have known contaminated ballots, ours were quarantined for 24 hours and will be processed tomorrow. The minor shifts in numbers you see are ballots that were delivered to their office or their drop box or through the USPS and received by 8pm yesterday.
I know there are 60 ballots from the city hall drop box waiting to be certified. I don’t know how many there are in each of the drop boxes from the polling locations, but there are usually not many.
Again, I do have 105 provisional ballots that I will be working on qualifying once the mail ballots are all done. I anticipate completing those before our BOC meeting on Friday at 11:30 AM.
Have a good night everyone and I will update you as I get more information.”
Please note -we’re not saying any results are final or anyone won any particular race until we get word that every vote has been counted and the votes are deemed final by the Board of Elections.
Newport City Council At- Large
We now have a little bit clearer picture of this race, which started with twelve candidates back in June.
With early in-person, most mail ballots, and election day votes counted, here’s what the results look like right now.
The top four vote getters for Newport City Council At-Large are incumbent and former mayor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano , incumbent and current mayor Jamie Bova , former Ward 2 councilor Lynn Underwood Ceglie, and newcomer Elizabeth Fuerte .
Newcomer Kevin Michaud sits just outside the council by fourteen votes. Meanwhile, incumbent Susan Taylor is in sixth place and Elizabeth Evans Cullen is in seventh place.
Current Newport City Councilor Justin McLaughlin withdraw his name from the race, but because of the timing his name still appeared on the ballot. He finished in eighth place, but he still pulled in 1,446 votes.
Meagan Landry, who was among the original twelve running for an At-Large seat on City Council, ran a write-in campaign. We don’t know for certain how many wrote in her name but we do know that there were 424 write-in votes in the At-Large race, 8 in Ward 1 race, 14 in Ward 2 race, and 9 in Ward 3 race.
4 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeanne-Marie Napolitano | 4589 | 16.6% | |
| Jamie P. Bova | 4549 | 16.5% | |
| Lynn Underwood Ceglie | 3804 | 13.8% | |
| Elizabeth Fuerte | 3532 | 12.8% | |
| Kevin Michaud | 3518 | 12.7% | |
| Susan D. Taylor | 3475 | 12.6% | |
| Elizabeth Evans Cullen | 2301 | 8.3% | |
| Justin S. McLaughlin | 1446 | 5.2% | |
| WRITE-IN | 424 | 1.5% |
Newport City Council Ward 1
In the Ward 1 race, incumbent Angela McCalla currently has the lead over Hugo J. DeAscentis, Jr.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angela McCalla | 1550 | 69.0% | |
| Hugo J. DeAscentis, Jr. | 690 | 30.7% | |
| WRITE-IN | 8 | 0.4% |
Newport City Council Ward 2
With current Ward 2 Councilor Lynn Underwood Ceglie running for an At-Large seat, Ward 2 residents were going to see a new representative on City Council no matter what.
Charles Holder currently has a lead over Kim Salerno.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles M. Holder, Jr. | 1754 | 50.6% | |
| Kim M. Salerno | 1697 | 49.0% | |
| WRITE-IN | 14 | 0.4% |
Newport City Council Ward 3
Long-time incumbent Kathryn Leonard currently has a lead over newcomer Paul Marshall.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathryn E. Leonard | 1558 | 52.0% | |
| Paul E. Marshall | 1430 | 47.7% | |
| WRITE-IN | 9 | 0.3% |
Newport School Committee
In the race for Newport School Committee, it looks as incumbent is mostly the word.
Rebecca Bolan, Raymond Gomes, Stephanie Winslow, Sandra Flowers, Louisa Boatwright, and Robert Leary have all been re-elected to serve on Newport School Committee.
James Dring a newcomer currently sits in sixth place.
7 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebecca Bolan | 4508 | 12.0% | |
| Raymond E. Gomes | 4384 | 11.7% | |
| Stephanie J. Winslow | 4381 | 11.7% | |
| Sandra J. Flowers | 4226 | 11.3% | |
| Louisa H. Boatwright | 4175 | 11.1% | |
| James A. Dring | 3897 | 10.4% | |
| Robert J. Leary | 3604 | 9.6% | |
| David R. Carlin, III | 3317 | 8.9% | |
| Michael J. Cullen | 2529 | 6.8% | |
| Nycole S. Matthews | 2272 | 6.1% | |
| WRITE-IN | 163 | 0.4% |
Question #2 – School Bond
If we could predict how any ballot item might go, this may it. The School Bond question that would see a new high school built in Newport and an addition at Pell Elementary School currently has 78% of the vote.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve | 7553 | 78.2% | |
| Reject | 2108 | 21.8% |
Middletown Town Council
In the most contested race on Aquidneck Island, there were eighteen candidates running for seven seats on Middletown Town Council.
Incumbents had a great Election Day in Middletown – every incumbent seeking reelection are currently among the top seven vote-getters – Terri Flynn, Paul Rodrigues, M. Theresa Santos, Barbara VonVillas, Robert Sylvia, and Dennis Turano.
Henry “Rick” Lombardi was the only incumbent not on the ballot seeking re-election on Middletown Town Council. Newcomer Thomas Welch, III currently sits in fourth place and may take up his place on the council.
7 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terri Flynn | 3717 | 9.4% | |
| Paul M. Rodrigues | 3066 | 7.8% | |
| M. Theresa Santos | 3014 | 7.6% | |
| Barbara A. VonVillas | 2951 | 7.5% | |
| Thomas P. Welch, III | 2913 | 7.4% | |
| Robert J. Sylvia | 2745 | 6.9% | |
| Dennis B. Turano | 2615 | 6.6% | |
| Kathleen B. Ventura | 2505 | 6.3% | |
| Christopher M. Logan | 2436 | 6.2% | |
| Audrey J. MacLeod-Pfeiffer | 1988 | 5.0% | |
| Antone C. Viveiros | 1754 | 4.4% | |
| James R. Miller | 1751 | 4.4% | |
| Gregory M. Huet | 1659 | 4.2% | |
| Thomas A. Heaney, Jr. | 1640 | 4.1% | |
| Lawrence Frank | 1626 | 4.1% | |
| Arthur S. Weber, Jr. | 1618 | 4.1% | |
| Daniel P. Titus | 1449 | 3.7% | |
| WRITE-IN | 90 | 0.2% |
Question 2 In Middletown
The bond item for the acquisition and preservation of open space in Middletown currently has a 79% lead.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve | 6131 | 79.6% | |
| Reject | 1572 | 20.4% |
Portsmouth Town Council
In one of the quieter local races, there were just eight candidates running for the seven seats on Portsmouth Town Council.
Michael Buddemeyer was the only non-incumbent running and he appears to have the top spot in the results at this time. Incumbent Leonard Katzman is currently the lowest vote getter.
7 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael A. Buddemeyer (DEM) | 5895 | 13.0% | |
| Kevin M. Aguiar (DEM) | 5784 | 12.7% | |
| Keith E. Hamilton (REP) | 5747 | 12.7% | |
| Linda L. Ujifusa (DEM) | 5610 | 12.4% | |
| Andrew V. Kelly (DEM) | 5577 | 12.3% | |
| Daniela T. H. Abbott (DEM) | 5521 | 12.2% | |
| J. Mark Ryan (DEM) | 5389 | 11.9% | |
| Leonard Barry Katzman (DEM) | 5282 | 11.6% | |
| WRITE-IN | 619 | 1.4% |
Portsmouth School Committee
With three to elect and only three candidates, this is an easy one.
3 to elect
3 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily A. Copeland (DEM) | 6620 | 35.5% | |
| Karen E. Marlow McDaid (DEM) | 5922 | 31.7% | |
| Juan Carlos Payero (DEM) | 5861 | 31.4% | |
| WRITE-IN | 269 | 1.4% |
Local General Assembly Races
In the race for House District 75 (Newport), incumbent Lauren Carson has a 2,135 vote lead on republican candidate Patrick Donovan.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauren H. Carson (DEM) | 3959 | 69.0% | |
| Patrick J. Donovan (REP) | 1769 | 30.8% | |
| WRITE-IN | 7 | 0.1% |
In the race for House District 72 (Middletown, Portsmouth), incumbent Terri-Denise Cortvriend currently has a lead over republican candidate Kenneth Mendonca.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terri-Denise Cortvriend (DEM) | 4643 | 57.4% | |
| Kenneth J. Mendonca (REP) | 3441 | 42.5% | |
| WRITE-IN | 8 | 0.1% |
In the race for House District 71 (Portsmouth, Tiverton, and Little Compton), Democrat candidate Michelle McGaw is currently pulling in 55.9% vote against Republican candidate Amy Veri and independent Nathan Joseph Melvin.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terri-Denise Cortvriend (DEM) | 4643 | 57.4% | |
| Kenneth J. Mendonca (REP) | 3441 | 42.5% | |
| WRITE-IN | 8 | 0.1% |
Senator Dawn Euer (Dist. 13), Senator DiPalma (Dist. 12), Senator Seveney (Dist. 11, Representative Abney (Dist. 73), and Representative Ruggiero (Dist. 74) all were unchallenged.
Jamestown
Here’s how things are looking in Jamestown this morning.
Town Council TOWN OF JAMESTOWN (5 to elect)
5 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy A. Beye (DEM) | 2371 | 14.9% | |
| Mary E. Meagher (DEM) | 2316 | 14.6% | |
| Michael G. White (DEM) | 2224 | 14.0% | |
| Erik G. Brine (DEM) | 2142 | 13.5% | |
| Randall White (DEM) | 2133 | 13.4% | |
| William J. Piva, Jr. (REP) | 2054 | 12.9% | |
| Claudine M. Charron (REP) | 1348 | 8.5% | |
| Michael P. Drzal (REP) | 1249 | 7.9% | |
| WRITE-IN | 65 | 0.4% |
School Committee TOWN OF JAMESTOWN (3 to elect)
Three to elect to School Committee and just three running make this an easy race to watch and call.
3 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Florentino Schott (DEM) | 2794 | 35.5% | |
| Agnes C. Filkins (DEM) | 2508 | 31.8% | |
| Andrew C. Allsopp (DEM) | 2482 | 31.5% | |
| WRITE-IN | 96 | 1.2% |
2. LIBRARY $1,500,000 BONDS AND NOTES TOWN OF JAMESTOWN
Jamestown voters are overwhelmingly supporting the two local bond items that they voted on.
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve | 2954 | 76.9% | |
| Reject | 889 | 23.1% |
3. Section 219: Initiative and Referendum
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve | 2369 | 67.5% | |
| Reject | 1139 | 32.5% |
Tiverton
Here’s how things are looking like in Tiverton this morning.
Non-Partisan Town Council TOWN OF TIVERTON
7 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denise M. deMedeiros | 3671 | 9.2% | |
| Deborah G. Janick | 3388 | 8.5% | |
| Jay P. Edwards | 3382 | 8.4% | |
| Joseph C. Perry, Jr. | 3381 | 8.4% | |
| William J. Vieira | 2737 | 6.8% | |
| Donna J. Cook | 2734 | 6.8% | |
| Michael S. Burk | 2480 | 6.2% | |
| J. Scott Burns | 2363 | 5.9% | |
| Nancy L. Driggs | 2331 | 5.8% | |
| Gavin Black | 2307 | 5.8% | |
| Joseph R. Sousa | 2256 | 5.6% | |
| David J. Paull | 2060 | 5.1% | |
| Sheri M. Aakre | 2013 | 5.0% | |
| Robert D. Coulter | 1781 | 4.4% | |
| Joel A. Bishop | 1671 | 4.2% | |
| Raymond D. Fougere | 1366 | 3.4% | |
| WRITE-IN | 132 | 0.3% |
Little Compton
Moving over to Little Compton and their wide variety of races, here’s what results are looking like thus far.
Town Council TOWN OF LITTLE COMPTON
5 to elect
| Candidate | Total votes | Pct | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert L. Mushen (REP) | 1469 | 14.9% | |
| Gary S. Mataronas (REP) | 1403 | 14.3% | |
| Paul J. Golembeske (REP) | 1284 | 13.1% | |
| Andrew Wilder Moore (DEM) | 1227 | 12.5% | |
| Anya R. Wallack (DEM) | 1171 | 11.9% | |
| Patrick A. McHugh (DEM) | 1143 | 11.6% | |
| Nicole H. B. Barnard (DEM) | 1059 | 10.8% | |
| Jeremy T. Allen (DEM) | 1054 | 10.7% | |
| WRITE-IN | 26 | 0.3% |