National Review
Judge declares Republican Claudia Tenney winner of New York Congress race
A New York judge ordered the state to certify Republican Claudia Tenney as a winner in the state’s 22nd congressional district elections, after months of delays caused by errors in the vote counting process. The decision reduces the already slim Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, which now has 221 seats compared to 212 for Republicans. Tenney defeated current Democrat Anthony Brindisi by just 109 votes, regaining the seat he lost to Brindisi in 2018. The election was marred by problems, including the discovery of un counted ballots and what the local media dubbed “StickyGate”, in which ID post-its mysteriously dropped from a batch of disputed ballots, leaving election officials unsure whether those ballots were counted or not. In addition, a local county did not process 2,400 voter registration requests before election day. New York Supreme Court Judge Scott J. DelConte ruled that, despite the errors in the election, the court was required to order Tenney’s certification as the winner. DelConte found no evidence of electoral fraud. “The history of this election reflects that both candidates have suffered the effects of systemic violations of state and federal electoral laws,” wrote DelConte in his decision. The court “cannot investigate or respond to these systemic violations of voters’ rights”. Such an investigation would be under the jurisdiction of the State Electoral Board, the United States Department of Justice or the governor. However, DelConte wrote, “every valid vote that was cast in New York’s 22nd congressional district was counted and counted”. Tenney welcomed the judge’s decision. “I am honored to have won this race,” said Tenney in a statement. “It was a very disputed campaign and I thank Anthony Brindisi for the service provided. Now that all the legal votes have been counted, it is time for the results to be certified. ”Brindisi’s campaign may continue to appeal to election results. Brindisi can also appeal to the Chamber, which has the power to order a recount and even a new election. “I am shocked and surprised by this decision because of the countless errors and discrepancies that occurred during the initial count,” said Brindisi. “I believe that a full audit and manual recount is the only way to resolve this race.”