New York County Finds Uncounted Votes for Congressional Race

Former Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.) and Claudia Tenney in file photographs. US House of Representatives; Claudia Tenney's campaign

Attorney Alan Gordon from Chenango County, New York, told a state Supreme Court Justice on Tuesday that the county found 55 uncounted ballots for the 22nd Congressional District, adding a variable to an extremely close race. 

In the district, Republican candidate Claudia Tenney led by 12 votes over Democrat incumbent Anthony Brindisi. The newly found votes may decide the result of the election.

Gordon said election officials found 44 valid ballots, with 11 ballots not cast by registered voters. He’s advised the county’s Board of Elections to secure the ballots and keep them unopened in their offices.

Gordon told syracuse.com that he didn’t get additional details from the county election officials and he presumes the ballots were from early voting.

“Those ballots were apparently mislaid and never counted,” Gordon wrote in an email to Justice Scott J. DelConte.

On Election Day, Tenney led Brindisi by more than 28,000 votes, with a 10 percent lead and the majority of votes counted. But after counting absentee and affidavit ballots, the margin shrunk to 12 votes.

Gordon asked DelConte for instruction regarding the ballots, as DelConte told the 8 counties in the district not to modify the votes they submitted on Monday. Herkimer County had corrected its total on Sunday by adding 10 more votes to Brindisi and 35 more to Tenney.