The upstate contest, between Republican George Amedore and Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk, is razor-close, just 37 votes out of 126,245 now separate the two candidates, with Amedore nominally ahead, just 0.03%.
It is of the highest importance that the true winner is found, and it’s obvious what election officials must do now: Begin again, count all 126,245 ballots by hand and settle this for good.
Surprise, that’s not what they’re up to. Each side is squabbling in court for partisan advantage. Republicans are claiming victory. Democrats are fighting to count a limited number of remaining disputed ballots.
New York City has a simple and sensible rule in cases such as these: When the margin is fewer than 10 votes or 0.5%, whichever is greater, inspect and count all ballots. Given flaws baked into the voting machines the state uses, this sound standard ought to be applied statewide.
Two polling place inspectors are appealing a judge’s decision to throw out their votes along with the ballots of 51 other Ulster County poll workers.
The case will go to the State Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, as whoever loses is unlikely to be willing to let the decision stand.
This is my brother-in-law family's district and they say "Count Every Ballot".
UPDATE
Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk on Friday overcame a 35-vote deficit to narrowly defeat Republican George Amedore in the race for the state’s 46th Senate District seat.
The counting of 90 previously challenged paper ballots in Ulster County sealed the victory for Tkaczyk. She got 69 votes among those ballots while Amedore got 15.
That gave Tkaczyk a 19-vote lead out of more than 126,000 ballots cast with only two paper ballots remaining — one in Albany County and one in Montgomery County.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!
Michael H. Drucker
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