Democrat Bested by Dannemeyer Asks for Recount

Democrat David Vest, who lost his bid to unseat Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) by a 3-1 margin in the Nov. 4 election, has asked for a partial recount to satisfy an unidentified family that he says cannot believe Dannemeyer won by such huge margins in particular precincts.

The recount of Villa Park precincts is expected to start Monday at the Orange County registrar of voters office, Vest said, and may terminate after only one day if no discrepancies are found.

Vest declined to name the family of supporters who have questioned the accuracy of the count. He described them as “devout” campaign workers who had talked to “nearly every voter in Villa Park” but who had not been heavily involved in previous political races.

The recount will cost $250 a day, to be paid by the supporters involved, Vest said.

Vest received 23.9% of the Nov. 4 vote in the 39th Congressional District, compared to Dannemeyer’s 74.3%.

Vest, a member of the county health care staff, said supporters were surprised that Dannemeyer took about 82% of the Villa Park vote because Proposition 64, the AIDS initiative strongly supported by Dannemeyer, drew only 22%. Vest’s campaign focused on Dannemeyer’s ties to the AIDS initiative and characterized both the congressman and the ballot measure as “extremist.”

“I doubt that there were any discrepancies in the vote count,” Vest said Tuesday. “But I’ll be there with them during the count, just to see.”