Nassau delays count of mailed in votes until next week; Suffolk starts counting its absentee votes Tuesday
The application for an absentee ballot for Nassau County. Credit: Newsday/William Perlman
Nassau County won't start counting thousands of absentee ballots until next week, delaying final results in the close county executive's race in which Republican Bruce Blakeman leads Democratic Nassau County Executive Laura Curran by nearly 12,000 votes.
Suffolk County, however, will start counting its mailed-in votes Tuesday, which could determine some close legislative races.
Blakeman led Curran by 11,834 votes out of 259,850 votes cast during early voting and on Election Day, Nov. 2.
Nassau County has decided to wait to count nearly 20,000 absentee ballots until Monday because officials will then also be able to count more than 1,200 affidavit ballots, which by law couldn't be counted this week.
Individuals who are not on poll-lists when they arrive to vote may vote with affidavit ballots. After the election, boards of election check their records, and if the voter is eligible and was at the correct poll site their vote is counted.
As of last Friday, 19,895 absentee ballots had been received in the countywide races for county executive, county comptroller and district attorney.
Republican Anne Donnelly won the district attorney's race and Republican Elaine Phillips was elected comptroller.
Democratic voters sent in 11,341 ballots, Republicans, 5,575, and voters not enrolled in a political party, 2,407, while the remainder were from voters enrolled in minor political parties.
The Suffolk County Board of Elections had received 18,525 absentee ballots as of Monday.
They include 10,343 from Democrats, 4,513 from Republicans, 3,276 from voters not enrolled in a party, and the rest from minor party voters.
Tuesday is the last day county election boards will accept absentee ballots, which must have been postmarked by the close of polls at 9 p.m. on Nov. 2.
Counting the ballots even by the high-speed machines used could take more than a day. After that, candidates and their attorneys can challenge votes for opponents’ ballot by ballot in a process that has taken days and even weeks in past close races. The county boards of election officials overseeing the challenges will include commissioners appointed by Democratic and Republican Party leaders.
Candidates also can contest the final count in court, further delaying release of final results.
Beyond the county executive's race, mail-in votes could be decisive in races in Nassau County’s 16th and 18th legislative districts, and in Suffolk’s 5th and 16th districts.
In the 16th in Nassau, Republican Daniel Alter led Democratic incumbent Arnold Drucker by 253 votes on election night. The elections board has received 998 absentee ballots, including 448 from Democrats, 366 from Republicans and 138 from voters not enrolled in a party.
In Nassau’s 18th District, Republican Paolo Pironi held a 245-vote lead over independent incumbent Joshua Alexander Lafazan, who was also endorsed by the Democratic Party, on election night.
Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said of Lafazan and Drucker: "I feel good about both, actually." Jacobs said Lafazan has a "very, very comfortable" lead and it would be "bumpier" for Drucker.
The county Board of Elections has received 1,261 absentee ballots in the race — 834 from Democrats, 238 from Republicans and 156 from voters not enrolled in a party. A small number of minor party members also cast absentee ballots.
The BOE also must count more than 1,200 affidavit ballots that were set aside until they could be researched against county records.
Often, voters complete affidavit votes at the polls because their name can’t be confirmed on electronic poll books.
In Suffolk County’s 5th Legislative District race, incumbent Democrat Kara Hahn had a 74-vote lead over Republican Salvatore SB Isabella on Nov. 2. At least 716 Democrats and at least 207 Republicans in that district cast absentee ballots as of Friday.
At least another 211 voters not enrolled in a party also cast absentee ballots while a small number of voters in minor parties also cast absentee ballots.
In Suffolk County’s 16th Legislative District race, Republican Manuel Estaban Sr. had a 546-vote lead over Democratic incumbent Susan Berland on election night. As of Friday, the county received 808 absentee votes. Of them, 490 were from Democrats and 190 were from Republican voters, with voters enrolled in minor parties providing small numbers of votes. Another 113 voters not enrolled in party also mailed in absentee ballots.
The GOP was on its way to flipping at least four seats, and ejecting the presiding officer and the Democratic majority leader, according to election results about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. The deputy presiding officer, another Democrat, was fighting a close race to hang on to her seat.
In early voting and in voting on Election Day, Republicans scored a resounding victory in the Suffolk County Legislature tossing out top Democratic leaders and taking control of the 18-seat body.
Both parties agree that in Suffolk County, the 5th district legislative seat is likely to stay Democrat, while the 16th district could go to the Republicans, they said. If that happens, the Suffolk GOP would have control of the county legislature 12-6.
The officials said they believe they will know for sure by the end of the week.
"We are cautiously optimistic that we will elect Manny Esteban as the new legislator in the 16th district," said Suffolk Republican Committee chairman Jesse Garcia. "I’m a little less hopeful in the 5th legislative district."
Suffolk Democratic Committee Chairman Rich Schaeffer said he was "definitely not" conceding the 5th district to the Republicans. "We believe Kara Hahn will be victorious." He said he’s "a little less optimistic" about winning the 16th district seat.
Esteban said he is already begun to prepare to serve in Suffolk County’s 16th District.
"I’m cautiously optimistic about the absentee ballot count," he said Monday.
In Suffolk County’s 5th Legislative District, Hahn said she is also cautiously optimistic the absentee vote will reelect her to the legislative seat.
Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
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