Hoffa Protests Counting Process

Wed., Dec. 18, 1996

A decision by a federal official to move ballots cast in the Teamsters election to another site before finishing a review of challenges drew a protest Tuesday from candidate James P. Hoffa.

Teamsters President Ron Carey declared victory Saturday over the son of labor legend Jimmy Hoffa.

“There have already been too many delays and irregularities in this election,” Hoffa’s attorney, Patrick Szymanski, wrote to Barbara Zack Quindel, the federally appointed overseer.

“The announced plan to move ballots to some as yet undisclosed location … introduces additional and unacceptable risks and introduces further questions concerning the integrity of the count,” Szymanski wrote.

The ballots must be moved because the lease is up at the National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, Md., where the votes were counted last week. Quindel’s spokesman, Jeff O’Mara, said the campaigns can monitor the move.

The official count had Carey with 226,593 votes and Hoffa with 209,896, not counting 41,002 challenged ballots. Voided ballots totaled 2,806.

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Hoffa Protests Counting Process

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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