How on earth is it possible that one month after the general elections the Board of Elections is still counting the votes in the state Senate race between the incumbent Frank Padavan, a Republican, and his challenger City Councilman James Gennaro, a Democrat.
Last we heard Padavan was ahead by 580 votes with 2,000 paper ballots hanging in the balance. That was the story on the day after the election and it was still pretty much the case one month later.
How long does it take to count 2,000 ballots? To be fair, we understand that questions have been raised about some of the ballots. But why are these questions not resolved one month later?
Padavan’s people have asked for an end to what they see as “senseless wrangling.” The Democrats replied, “Regardless of what the Republicans would like to have happen, the election should not and will not be over until every legitimate vote is counted.” The Republicans were set to ask a judge last week to certify the election and end the challenges, but the Democrats made it clear they won’t back down.
Enough is enough. The Board of Elections should declare a winner and put an end to the nonsense.
