NEW YORK—A vote recount released Saturday night showed Rep. Charles Rangel triumphing over top contender Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat.
Although Rangel originally won by 1,900 votes, no votes were recorded in 79 precincts, and a recount was ordered. The recount showed Rangel winning by only 987 votes, with 18,942 votes to Espaillat’s 17,955.
Yet the recount will not be official until state Supreme Court Justice John Carter approves it, according to the Wall Street Journal. Carter has not indicated a time table for approval.
Brooklyn state Sen. Martin J. Golden said in a statement the controversy over the 13th Congressional District primary election should spur the passing of legislation aimed at modernizing election night vote counting procedures.
The legislation would deal with unofficial vote counts on election night, including allowing consolidating results at poll sites with more than one election district, transportation of a portable memory drive separate from voting machines, and requiring the board of elections to make unofficial results available to the media in a public place or on the Internet.
“Election night reporting is difficult and at times inaccurate, and in this day in age, we can and should do better,” Golden said in the statement. “This [legislation] should be in place before this November’s election.”
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