I’ve been getting asked frequently about the latest in the Scott Muphy/Jim Tedisco election in the New York 20th. Rightly so, as MYD played a large part in that election, and we deserve to know the latest.
You’ve probably heard alot of fluctuating numbers going around. Don’t expect that to stop anytime soon. After the election night tallies come in, each county in the NY-20 goes back over the numbers and re-tallies. In most cases, they were off by a few votes which, normally, is pretty insignificant. But when both candidates are within a couple dozen votes, these fluctuations can determine the outcome. The 20th Congressional District stretches across ten counties, so this will take a while.
Add to this the fact that the absentee ballots still need to be counted, and we’re in for a lot of waiting. Because of a discrepancy between NYS Law and Federal guidelines for special elections, the deadline for absentee ballots was extended until April 13th. Until then, the absentee ballots are under lock-and-key. An intricate and costly legal dance between lawyers from both sides will decide how these votes are counted.
NY has a bit of experience dealing with elections this close. Last time it was Andrea Stewart-Cousins’s narrow defeat to Nick Spano for State Senate. She ended up losing by 18 votes after months of litigation, only to come back in 2006 and win decisively.
So, we wait for the recount, we wait for the absentee ballots to be counted, we wait for the lawyers to do their dance, and maybe months from now we’ll have a congressperson. But if you’re one of those people that needs to know what is going on, you can get the tallies posted from Friday here.
