TRMC recount rescheduled after Doctor fails to pay fees in time

TULARE, Calif. (KFSN) -- More than 1,000 ballots were cast in the July 11th Tulare special recall election. Those ballots will need to be recounted on Tuesday-- at the request of Dr. Parmod Kumar, who was recalled as a Tulare Regional Medical Center board member in the election.

Tulare County Registrar of Voters Michelle Baldwin says the recount was scheduled for 8 a.m. on Monday. But Kumar didn't pay the recount fees in time.

"We kept the tally board around for about 15 minutes," Baldwin said. "We had about three observers here for the recount and at 8:15 we let everybody know that we would not be having the recount today due to not receiving the payment from Mr. Kumar."

Baldwin says they received a check from Kumar a little while later for $2,620-- the cost for a manual recount.

They'll now hold the recount on Tuesday, but it will be a hassle for her office. They'll have to see if the same tally board volunteers can come back again.

Two elections employees will also have to retrieve the ballots, and remain in the room while the ballots are recounted, which will take hours.

"We're having now to redo the letters and send them out again and notify everybody about the recall scheduled for tomorrow, republish notices that are required a day before in order to do the recount," she said. "And that's why we weren't able to schedule it again for today."

The July 11th results were overwhelming, with 81 percent of voters in Tulare Local Healthcare District Three saying yes to recalling Kumar, and 76 percent voting for Senovia Gutierrez to take his seat on the hospital board.

Officials say Tuesday's recount will be the county's first in seven years.