NY-20: UPDATED Murphy Picks Up 33 Votes In Delaware, Dutchess Counties

The absentee numbers will be (4.00 / 2)

changing the overall numbers daily over the next week or so.

But Murphy winning the absentees in Delaware County is certainly great news that augurs well for what will happen in other Republican counties in the district.

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by: devtob @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 22:40:46 PM UTC

There is a "situation" developing in Columbia. (4.00 / 2)

The Tedisco legal team leaned heavily on the Republican inspectors/commissioner.

His reps are having roughly half of all the ballot envelopes inspected thus far set aside for challenge (with only 7 of more than 57 districts completed today). The strategy is to disenfranchise an entire class of voter fitting a very specific profile.

I do not believe it will work in the end, as the law is clearly not on their side. But the Columbia County tally is for now significantly suppressed.

More details to come.

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by: Hudson @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 03:39:04 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hardly surprising (4.00 / 1)

we knew they would try something somewhere. My guess is that in the next couple days we'll hear about more systematic challenges from the Republican camp.

They can't win fair and square. Voter suppression is the only thing they've got left.

In Rensselaer County, while I don't know if there is a clear pattern to their objections, the raw numbers are 20 Republicans challenges to 4 Democratic challenges. That alone tells you who is trying to game the system by voter suppression.

Keep us updated as you are able.

Peace,

Andrew

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by: Andrew C. White @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 03:50:27 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Absentee ballots (4.00 / 2)

This very happily eases my fear that the history of absentee ballots favoring Republicans will tilt the election to Tedisco.  This is obviously not necessarily true in this election.   The estimates of Murphy winning the absentees by some 200 net votes may well be an UNDER estimation!  GOOD NEWS!!!!

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by: NYTrialman @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 23:31:59 PM UTC

Politicker says its murphy +40 in Columbia (4.00 / 4)

and +10 in Rensaelaer with 49 left to open. http://www.politickerny.com/29...

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by: Menhen @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 23:43:50 PM UTC

So here's the question (4.00 / 2)

Assuming that after they count the absentee and provisional ballots, Murphy is declared the winner, my question is:  Who takes his seat first -- Scott Murphy or Al Franken?

The point is that the Tedisco camp is lawyered up, and guaranteed to challenge this in every court they can get into (and even a few they can't).

Anyone who believes that "reaching across the aisle" is a good idea had better get it through his or her thick skull that the Republican Party has declared war.  They will fight to stop people from voting, to avoid counting ballots they don't want counted (and ONLY those ballots they don't want counted), and anything else they can do to steal elections.

Once the election is decided, they will stop at nothing to push the concept that Democrats are destroying the Constiution, that Democrats are making America less safe, and that Democrats are taking away our civil rights and our freedom.

Batten down the hatches; we're in for a long, stormy battle.

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 23:54:04 PM UTC

Maybe not so bad (4.00 / 2)

If the absentee vote keeps going Murphy's way, the margin may be big enough that the Republicans could keep delaying thing as they are in Minnesota.  They do have future elections to worry about. HOPE springs eternal!

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by: ohyeah @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 00:05:06 AM UTC

The big problem with MN (4.00 / 1)

is their stupid state law that says no one can be seated until all legal challenges are resolved.  This gives the party of the trailing candidate a strong incentive to stall as long as possible.  Does NY have such a law?

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by: zorro24 @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 00:41:02 AM UTC

Rensselaer County (4.00 / 1)

resulted in a net gain of 10 votes for Murphy.

There are 24 ballots left unopened due to challenges. 20 of those challenged by the Republicans, 4 challenged by Democrats. 12 of the 20 challenged by the Republicans are ballots from residents of an adult facility that were delivered to the polling place rather than to the Board of Elections.

There are also 20 Military ballots and 9 special federal ballots which will presumably be opened after April 13.

Peace,

Andrew

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by: Andrew C. White @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 00:56:18 AM UTC

supposing all challenges are rejected, (4.00 / 1)

do we assume that Murphy would net another 16 votes?

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by: Menhen @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 01:37:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Unknown (4.00 / 1)

but that does sort of seem implied doesn't it.

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by: Andrew C. White @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 01:50:08 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

ballots from an adult facility (4.00 / 1)

Tedisco and Stone have been issuing pious statements about how they sincerely want to make sure that every legitimate votes is counted.   And then they challange a bunch of votes from citiizens in an adult facility.   Creeps....

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by: global yokel @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 04:26:24 AM UTC

Columbia County (4.00 / 1)

Interesting that Murphy picked up 40 votes today in just 7 out of 58 districts in Columba Co.  If that rate holds, he should net something like 300 in the county.

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by: global yokel @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 04:27:54 AM UTC

Delaware County? (0.00 / 0)

Interesting that Delaware County, with a population of under 50,000, has 113,000 registered voters.  

Do they have ACORN working up there?

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by: kilgoretrout @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 04:48:02 AM UTC

Good catch (0.00 / 0)

Murphy's campaign should fix that-- must be inaccurate.

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by: robinia @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 12:09:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

ACORN? (0.00 / 0)

What the heck are you talking about?

If you want to question enrollment numbers go visit the State BoE.

Spreading right wing smear and slime regarding ACORN is unproductive.

I sincerely hope the right wing continues with their attempted demonizing of ACORN. Because while they pursue their silly scare tactics they will continue to lose elections while real voters pay attention to Democrats talking about real issues, real issues that matter to voters and to America.

ACORN's grow Oak trees not voters.  

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by: Andrew C. White @ Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 18:26:15 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think he means this (0.00 / 0)

On Election Day, Tedisco won Delaware County. There is a Republican registration advantage of 63,000 to 48,000 there.

philip must've added an extra 0 in those numbers, because according to this, there are more Republicans in Delaware County than there are people.  

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by: nrafter530 @ Fri Apr 10, 2009 at 01:56:44 AM UTC

[ Parent ]