Recanvassing shows NY-23 race tightens even as Rep. Bill Owens is sworn into House seat

[ccharles000]

Washington -- Conservative Doug Hoffman conceded the race in the 23rd Congressional District last week after receiving two pieces of grim news for his campaign: He was down 5,335 votes with 93 percent of the vote counted on election night, and he had barely won his stronghold in Oswego County.

As it turns out, neither was true.

But Hoffman’s concession -- based on snafus in Oswego County and elsewhere that left his vote undercounted -- set off a chain of events that echoed all the way to Washington, D.C., and helped secure passage of a historic health care reform bill.

Democratic Rep. Bill Owens was quickly sworn into office on Friday, a day before the rare weekend vote in the House of Representatives. His support sealed his party’s narrow victory on the health care legislation.

Now a recanvassing in the 11-county district shows that Owens’ lead has narrowed to 3,026 votes over Hoffman, 66,698 to 63,672, according to the latest unofficial results from the state Board of Elections.

In Oswego County, where Hoffman was reported to lead by only 500 votes with 93 percent of the vote counted election night, inspectors found Hoffman actually won by 1,748 votes -- 12,748 to 11,000.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/its_not_over_recanvassing_shows_ny23_race.html

[existentialist]

1. Well that's just minorly depressing,

but, in the larger scale of things, so what?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. Is the race being contested?

Is there a chance that the results are in error and that we could lose Owens?
:scared:

[leftynyc]

3. There are around 5,000

absentee ballot, Owens is up by 3100+. Hoffman would have to take 80% of the remaining ballots and remember most of these were sent in before Scazzafava dropped out. So the answer to your question is there is a very, very, very small chance.

[saracat]

5. But it is there.And the fact is Owens didn't win by a landslide.

And he likely would not have won at all if the GOP candidate didn't drop out and endorse him. Her votes helped.

[leftynyc]

19. That's the whole point

The pubs shot themselves in the foot by having another candidate. Scazzafava would have won pretty handily if Hoffman wasn't there. Their hubris lost that seat. As it will others they try this sort of crap with. So I'm hoping all the conservatives come out in force and vote for third party candidates who only split the vote. Smacking down conservatives is even more fun than doing it to republicans.

[quiller4]

14. Actually there were 10,000 total absentee ballots mailed and

5,000 were included in the vote count released the morning following the election. While it is possible for all absentee ballots sent out to be returned, the normal return rate in the district is just over 55%. Unless this elections defies pattern, election officials expect to receive no more than 500 additional absentees most of which would come from overseas military. The local papers expect those ballots to favor Owens because of his close ties to military and his longstanding efforts to help returning veterans find employment.

[saracat]

4. I'm wondering.That is scary.This is why we need to count all the votes. On both sides.

[Aramchek]

6. doesn't matter now that Owens has sworn in.

[harkadog]

8. I hope you don't claim election law as a specialty

[Aramchek]

9. and you do? it's the same reason that nothing could be done after Bush was sworn in the first time.

[harkadog]

13. Bush's swearing in had nothing to do with it.

After the court decisions the electoral college met and voted for Bush. That made him president. Not Gore's concession or Bush's swearing in. Those are side issues. In New York after the vote canvass the Board of Elections will issue a proclamation declaring the winner. That's who wins.

[Aramchek]

15. how do you remove a Congressman once he is sworn in?

[harkadog]

16. If the Board of Elections declares a different winner then the

person who was sworn in was done so illegitimately in the view of the state. Of course the House would have to right to conduct its own investigation and decide to keep Owens. There would be a political price to be paid for that however.

[WI_DEM]

7. Oh, they'll raise a stink, but I think even with a reduced margin Owens wins.

[Zodiak]

10. An interesting anecdote

But an anecdote nonetheless if the margin doesn't close further.

This WAS wingnut country, after all.

[WePurrsevere]

17. Wingnut country?

I live in this district and although we have more then our fair share of "nuts" I'd call it basically "Moderate" (or Purple) at this point and thankfully increasingly leaning more Dem. (Wiki Info)

Yes, it's still slightly more Republican but most Republicans that I've met are not "wingnuts", they're moderate old style Ike types to the point where some of those Republican's voted for Obama (who BTW carried this district 52% to McCain's 47%).

[Zodiak]

20. Sorry, I am basing that on 100 years of Republicans representing them

That's a far longer streak than any county I can think of in Texas.

The point was that a tight race there is not a surprise because of the district's history.

[burning rain]

11. Once you're seated, you're seated.

Article 1, Section 5 of the Constitution: "Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members<.>" The most Republicans can do is make a stink and play it up as an issue at the next election.

[diane in sf]

18. Just to add, it happened to a Dem in FLA 13 (think I've got that district right)

She probably won, but the votes were f'ed up and the Repug took the seat. It was in 08 or 06 and in Northern FLA.

[PBS Poll-435]

12. Keep Hope Alive, FReepers!

It could happen. It could really happen!!!1!




:rofl:

[Beacool]

21. I just heard someone being interviewed on Joe & Mika's radio show.

This guy (I didn't get who he was, but he was a Dem.) said that he hoped that he wouldn't have to eat crow because there were still 10,000 absentee ballots to be counted.

:(