Monday Sep 24 11:05 AM: In an e-mail to supporters today morning, Restler says that with the Kent issue at hand he is down now by 31 votes, but that is before the hand-recount. In other words, the hand recount needs to go fully against Restler for him not to get a net 17 vote pick up to be back on top. It’s statistically very unlikely that after all votes are counted that Restler should stay down.
Saturday 10:40 PM: There is a discrepancy of 80 votes in favor of Restler between the original count and the back up count from one Election District. If it holds and ALL other votes stay as is, Restler will trail by 27. But then again, maybe the first count was off and the back up count was correct… Such issues is one main reason why there are hand recounts in margins of less than 0.5%.
I guess the Zaloynem blogger was indeed correct that there is a 80-vote issue. However, we shall see how it plays out on the ground.
Satruday 8:41 PM: Lincoln Restler has pulled ahead with a 53-vote lead now that all votes were counted. The race is going to a hand recount; which may take up to a month. Aside from messing up the overall Jewish Vote turnout before polls closed on election night September 13, our numbers seem to have been right on target and from solid sources. A key Zaloynem blogger argued that me taking Restler from trailing by 136 to only 51 votes is based on a BOE error. However, based on Linc’s current 53-vote lead, it seems that my count was correct and that Blogger’s assertions were out of thin air. However, Let’s see how things move in the coming days.
Friday 3:36 PM: As of now, counting is ongoing at the BOE, one table is Green-point absentees and Affidavits are counted, and the other table the Absentees are counted. While the count is still ongoing, Restler leads 57 to 15 votes at the Green-point table and leads 70 to 24 votes at the Williamburg table. This gives him as of now a net gain of 88 votes. There are still 200-plus Absens and Affies that need to be counted.
Friday 12:06 AM: A source says that a majority of the 170 affidavits are from outside Williamsburg where Restler had 80% of the vote, which may be anywhere from a (slight) edge for Restler to a wash. Another source claims that an overwhelming majority of the Absentees (170 of the 205), are from Restler direct and from the Hasidic sect that backs him. if both numbers hold (and they are from good sources), Restler may be ahead Friday afternoon. (But then again, an anti-Restler Hasidic Blogger argues that a few dozen votes that Olech lost will be given back on Friday, but I don’t know how or if at all his source is any good.)
If the vote total is less than 60 votes, a hand recount will need decide this race.
Thursday 11:55 PM: After counting 196 Emergency Ballots, Restler is down by 105. To be counted Friday 10:30 AM are 170 affidavits and 205 Absentees ballots.
Thursday 10:50 PM: Midnight election night, when Zaloynem were tweeting that Restler lost the race by many hundreds of votes, I reported that Restler was down by 125 votes from being behind by about 185. The next morning, Journalists placed the number at 136 based on info they got on the record from the BOE; which was in-line with my 125 report. Yesterday Wednesday night Sep 19, I reported that Restler is down by 51 votes. Tonight, an Orthodox blogger from the Zaloynim backs up my 51 report from his unnamed source. However the blogger notes that the 51 count may be in error and will be recouned. Fine with me, but regardless the outcome, the Zaloynem writer backs up what I reported yesterday.
An inside source is telling me that this pick-up may fizzle. The votes in questions are heading to a re-canvass.
There is a large discrepancy between the original machine count of the Kent Ave. EDs, and what a backup stick that was uploaded this week showed. The backups are showing several hundred less votes that the original count, and the lower number would mean that Kent Avenue EDs had a significant lower turnout than in the past (BTW, a heavily Jewish district from Jewish Williamsburg was moved to the Kent polls site). The Board of Elections plans a re-canvass of the paper ballots to determine the real number, and this may return 85 votes to Mr. Olechowski’s column
Thursday 8:00 PM: The Board of Election is expected to release an updated count of the vote some time Friday. However, if the difference is less than a 0.5%, a hand count can be demanded by the losing side.
Thursday 12:00 AM: A source says that 24 affidavits were signed by people who claim their names have been signed as voted when they came to vote. I don’t know how those 24 false votes are removed from the count since by signing one does not indicate for whom he/she will vote. However, all those smart national political commentators who “know” for a “fact” that in-person voter fraud does not take place, should please review the .
Wednesday 8:49: PM Excluding the above 570 votes Restler is down now by 51 votes. And again, some of the above 570 will certainly be dumped during counting. The rule now is: The more emergency ballots and affidavits that are validated, the better the news is for Olechowski. The more absentees that are upheld, the better the news is for Restler.
Wednesday 8:31 PM: There are, according to some sources, 196 emergency ballots from the Taylor-Whyte polling place; one of the voting place in Hasidic Williams-burg. There are also 205 Absentee ballots. In addition, there are as of this afternoon 170 Kosher affidavits. In others words, 570 legitimate votes, or yet to be challenged votes, still need to be counted before this race can be settled.
Wednesday 8:25 PM: It is to my understanding that hundreds of affidavits signed on election day were dumped by the Board of Elections because they were overtly invalid.
Wednesday 7:01 PM: Some preliminary results should be available soon/later regarding the Restler-Olechowski District Leader race.
Developing…
