Error caught; Perriello still apparent winner

By Bernard Baker

Published: November 10, 2008

An error in tabulating absentee ballots in Pittsylvania County on Monday gave U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode 407 additional votes, but still not enough to overcome Democratic challenger Tom Perriello.

Registrar Jenny Lee Sanders said the error was caused by not entering the figures properly into the computer system. She said the mistake was caught by the Virginia State Board of Elections, among others.

“The mistake was not checking behind myself,” Sanders said.

For a time Monday, Goode was credited with 2,354 absentee votes to 1,874 for Perriello – a total higher than the number of people who voted absentee in Pittsylvania County. The adjustment now puts Goode at 1,639 absentee votes to 1,497 for Perriello.

Perriello, who claimed victory Friday in the 5th District House race, has a 745-vote advantage with 159,712 votes to 158,967 votes for Goode, according to the latest calculation from the Board of Elections.

The Perriello campaign said Monday it didn’t understand why numbers were still being counted.

“We’re very confused,” Perriello’s communications director, Jessica Barba, said Monday. “From our perspective, we thought the canvass was closed.”

Barba said she was under the impression all the canvasses had been signed by the registrars and wasn’t sure where any errors could have come from.

“All the canvasses last week had representatives from each of our campaigns,” she said. “We weren’t told about any change.”

Jerr Rosenbaum, Goode’s chief of staff, said Monday the campaign is concerned about irregularities in counting the vote and is paying attention to changes. Goode has said he does not plan on calling for a recount until the results are certified Nov. 24 by the Board of Elections.

Perriello announced Monday that he will attend freshman orientation for new members of Congress next week in Washington.

Rosenbaum had no comment on Perriello’s plan to attend the congressional orientation.

Perriello has a meeting set Sunday with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.

“(I’m) very excited to get up there,” he said.

Dick Cranwell, chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, was already celebrating Thursday before Perriello announced his victory and called the Ivy Democrat to congratulate him.

“Tom did a tremendous job early on in the campaign and has been just an outstanding candidate,” he said late Thursday afternoon. “I think he probably has run one of the best campaigns I’ve ever seen.”

Cranwell added that having Barack Obama on the top of the ticket and hugely popular Mark Warner in the Senate slot certainly helped Perriello, but attributed his victory largely to the candidate himself and the campaign’s grassroots efforts.

Contact Bernard Baker at or at (434) 791-7986.

Contact Sarah Arkin at or at (434) 791-7983.