Tedisco Up 17 as Absentee Ballot Count Begins

17 is a dead heat, but every vote counts!

The counting of absentee ballots begins today in the thisclose NY-20 special congressional election. As of now, per the New York State Board of Elections, Jim Tedisco (R) is leading Scott Murphy (D) by 17 votes. And that number will undoubtedly change when the absentee-ballot counting starts.

Given how close the race is, Republicans today fired a warning shot of sorts, suggesting that they will fight any ballot that appears to be questionable. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions released this statement: “Following the final tally of votes from Election Day, we are confident that Jim Tedisco’s current lead will increase given the Republican advantage among absentee ballots. Working with the Tedisco campaign, we remain committed to protecting the integrity of the election process and ensuring that every eligible vote -- particularly those of our military men and women -- is counted. We are thankful to the local officials on the ground who share this commitment.”

This scene played out in Saratoga County on Wednesday, where staff began opening 1,841 absentee ballots — the most returned to any of the 10 counties in the 20th Congressional District. Republican election commissioner Diane Wade said she expected the process to take a week to a week and a half of eight-hour days to complete.

Elsewhere, elections officials and watchers will slog through 4,918 additional ballots.

At the end of this process a winner will be named, either Republican Jim Tedisco or Democrat Scott Murphy. According to the state Board of Elections, the count now stands at 77,035 to 77,018, with Tedisco ahead by 17 votes. The count changes as elections officials in each county double-check their machines. The machines in Essex and Greene county have not been recounted yet.

Opening the ballots is part one of the process. Part two is the challenge, when a campaign worker for one side or the other objects to a ballot because the information doesn't match the voter's registration, or the voter made a stray mark on the ballot, or didn't give a clear enough reason for why he or she couldn't vote in person, or a myriad of other reasons.