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Christine Canning-Wilson is claiming election fraud.

Republican Canning-Wilson Alleges Election Fraud

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Republican Christine Canning-Wilson is claiming there was fraud in the election process on Thursday. 

The Lanesborough candidate for the state Senate seat released a statement Friday morning, the day after the primary, saying she is filing a complaint with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance saying there were violations depriving her of votes. She also contacted the secretary of state's office, which oversees such matters.
 
"I need to request a recount because there's a lot of zeros — and I know people voted in those towns. The long arm of this Democratic machine stops at nothing. I know for a fact people in Adams voted for me and it still came out zero. A woman in Pittsfield Ward was told I was not on the ballot," Canning-Wilson wrote. 
 
Canning-Wilson provided a copy of a text message between her and a resident of Pittsfield's Ward 1B saying the woman was unable to find Canning-Wilson's name on the ballot. She later wrote that she opted to vote in the Democratic primary because "the entire thing was blank," referring to the Republican ballot.
 
However, in that ward, 15 others managed to vote for Canning-Wilson, who was the only name listed on the Republican ballot for senator in the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden District. In total, 250 people in Pittsfield voted for her.
 
Canning-Wilson also alleges that the town of Adams reported zero votes for her and showed both a text and a Facebook message from voters saying that they voted for her. In the media, the uncontested Republican primary was unreported. According to Adams' unofficial voting results, Canning reeled in 35 votes there. 
 
She also says the was denied "equal coverage" by the media. The Democratic primary had three candidates while Canning-Wilson had no opposition in the primary. Traditionally news media focus on contested races because the person running unopposed, in any party, tends to automatically be the winner.
 
Canning-Wilson is calling for a recount not just of the Republican ballots but that of the Democrats as well. 
 
"There have been so many questions around Adam Hines [sic] to begin with, coupled with the people who are endorsing him have been in scandals, how do we actually know Andrea Harrington or Del Gallo wasn't the real winner? My zeros don't affect my results. However it does indicate there was fixing of ballots and perhaps foul play with the forms," Canning-Wilson wrote.
 
"I want an open investigation. I am requesting a hand count on behalf of my party and I would highly suggest a hand count from an independent source for the Democrats as well."
 
The Republican claims she has "written and video evidence" of the alleged violations. When asked for them, however, she said. "I will be happy to but right now I have to ask the OCPF as it's an ongoing investigation."
 
The Secretary of State William Galvin's office responded Friday afternoon directing Canning-Wilson as to how to request a recount, which includes a petition signed by at least 10 voters from each of the 52 cities and towns in the district. 
 
"We would strongly recommend consulting with an attorney to ensure that you comply with the requirements in the law when completing the recount petitions. Please note, however, that the state law regarding recounts requires the candidate affirm that they believe that a recount will change the results of who was elected or nominated," reads an email from Michelle Tassinari, director of legal counsel for the elections division.
 
Edited to clarify Canning-Wilson also contacted the secretary of state's elections division.

Tags: election 2016,   primary,   Republican Party,   voting,   


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State Fire Marshal: New Tracking Tool Identifies 50 Lithium-Ion Battery Fires

STOW, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services' new tool for tracking lithium-ion battery fires has helped to identify 50 such incidents in the past six months, more than double the annual average detected by a national fire data reporting system, said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine.
 
The Department of Fire Services launched its Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Investigative Checklist on Oct. 13, 2023. It immediately went into use by the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, and local fire departments were urged to adopt it as well. 
 
Developed by the DFS Fire Safety Division, the checklist can be used by fire investigators to gather basic information about fires in which lithium-ion batteries played a part. That information is then entered into a database to identify patterns and trends.
 
"We knew anecdotally that lithium-ion batteries were involved in more fires than the existing data suggested," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "In just the past six months, investigators using this simple checklist have revealed many more incidents than we've seen in prior years."
 
Prior to the checklist, the state's fire service relied on battery fire data reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS), a state-level tool that mirrors and feeds into the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). NFIRS tracks battery fires but does not specifically gather data on the types of batteries involved. Some fields do not require the detailed information that Massachusetts officials were seeking, and some fires may be coded according to the type of device involved rather than the type of battery. Moreover, MFIRS reports sometimes take weeks or months to be completed and uploaded.
 
"Investigators using the Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Checklist are getting us better data faster," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "The tool is helpful, but the people using it are the key to its success."
 
From 2019 to 2023, an average of 19.4 lithium-ion battery fires per year were reported to MFIRS – less than half the number identified by investigators using the checklist over the past six months. The increase since last fall could be due to the growing number of consumer devices powered by these batteries, increased attention by local fire investigators, or other factors, State Fire Marshal Davine said. For example, fires that started with another item but impinged upon a battery-powered device, causing it to go into thermal runaway, might not be categorized as a battery fire in MFIRS or NFIRS.
 
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