7th S.D.: Martins leads Johnson by 354; 250 ballots left to count

Tough spot for Craig right now............but who knows???    stranger things have happened with these close type races.........the judge may order a complete hand ballot count.....stay tuned..................andy

 NEWSDAY SPIN CYCLE

2:51 PM By Sid Cassese

State Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington) has picked up 49 votes so far today in the counting of challenged absentee and affidavit ballots but still trails Republican Mineola Mayor Jack Martins by 354 votes with about 250 ballots left to be counted.
“I would not be surprised if we closed out under 300 by the end of the day,” said Johnson's attorney, Steven Schlesinger.
The new numbers were generated by 1 p.m., when the counters broke for lunch. They result from counting about half of 500 absentee and affidavit ballots that had been contested by one or both sides until yesterday, when attorneys agreed those ballots should count. That leaves the remaining 250 left to be counted today, election officials said.
Of 379 additional absentee and affidavit ballots, about 170 must be ruled on by Nassau State Supreme Court Justice Ira Warshawsky, who has oversight of the election case.
The remainder, including about 50 that both sides agreed were invalid, are being reviewed by court-appointed referee Jeffrey Grob. He is hearing the legal rationale for each objection, as well as the opposition’s view point before studying the ballot envelope or the affidavit and supporting documentation, such as registration and poll card, before deciding whether to recommend that the ballot should be counted, or not. Warshawsky will have the court’s final say.
John Ryan, counsel for the Republican elections commissioner, said he does not think much is going to change. “In the end, it will end up pretty much where it started, with Martins ahead by more than 400 votes," he said.
Schlesinger, though, said Johnson should not be counted out.
“If you look at what is happening (with problems) on the voting machines under the 3 percent audit . . . we may well end up with a hand count that could make the difference,” he said. "It’s two-to-one against me, but it’s a shot. With this much as stake, we’re going to make sure that every vote counts.”