Things are looking bleaker by the moment for Jim Tedisco. How can you tell? Because his campaign is now challenging even student ballots. Jimmy Vielkind, who has been all over the recanvass/abentee count story, has the details:
The Tedisco campaign is now also challenging ballots of students who come from outside the 20th Congressional District, many of whom attend Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs.
Yesterday, Republicans began objecting systematically to absentee ballots cast by voters who maintain second homes in some of the southern parts of the district, and Saratoga County Democratic Chairman Larry Bulman called late last night to say that several of the student ballots were being challenged on grounds that the students improperly claimed residency within the district.
...
"It's ridiculous-these same students voted with no problem in November," Bulman said. He did not have a specific number of student ballots that were challenged.
James Walsh, an attorney representing Republican Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, said yesterday, "What we're doing is trying to prevent fraud."
First, they objected to absentees from voters with second homes, then they seemed to object to voters with Jewish surnames and now, sensing that the clock is running out, they are objecting the votes from college students. It would be cliche to say that this act "smells of desperation", but really, it does.
Then again, it's pretty obvious why Tedisco would want to disenfranchise those Skidmore students given that they voted for Murphy on election day by a better than 15 to 1 ratio.
Expect the frivolous ballot challenges to continue from the Tedisco camp. Earlier a tipster sent along the following:
The have begun to set aside all city voters in earnest in dutchess. Thirteen of seventeen set aside in milan. As we move into rhinebeck it will get much worse.
I expect that these challenges are the only thing keeping the vote tallies as close as they are and that when these ballots are examined by a judge, the vast majority of them will be allowed.
Sad, really. |
