The remaining vote-count in the NY-20 special election is starting to take shape, with the lawyers and local election officials set to gather on Thursday to review…about 200 ballots.
Judge James V. Brands just handed down an order formalizing an agreement from both sides.
About 200 ballots that were opened up but objected to on the basis of voter intent — that is, a campaign challenged it based on how the voter marked it, similar to the ballot-challenges we saw in Minnesota — will be brought to the State Elections Board, as a centralized location, on Thursday.
The campaigns’ lawyers will then sit down with the county election officials and try to come to an agreement over these votes.
Of course, this still leaves over 1,000 absentee-ballot envelopes that are still sealed (though the campaigns both probably have some good ideas of what’s in them). These ballots have generally been challenged on the basis of voter-eligibility within the district, and are still being fought over.
Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports that former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), who chaired the NRCC during some better cycles for his party — 1998, 2000 and 2002 — isn’t feeling bullish on this result: “We lost the special election in New York. It’s gone.”
