The May 26 Oak Bluffs special election was not legal, town administrator Michael Dutton has confirmed. In an e-mail to the Gazette Mr. Dutton said the town failed to post a warrant seven days prior to the election.

“I had assumed the posting of the warrant for the town meeting identifying the election date would satisfy any posting requirement,” the town administrator wrote. “Evidently there is some confusion over who is responsible for posting. Since it’s a selectmen’s warrant, I take full responsibility for the error.”

Last week town clerk Deborah deBettencourt Ratcliff, who flagged the possible problem on the day of the election, said one remedy would be for the town to place an article on its June 21 special town meeting warrant to petition the state legislature to accept the results of the election.

In the election voters rejected by a wide margin two Proposition 2 1/2 overrides totaling some $484,361.