NY-12: Thousands of absentee ballots tossed in tight Maloney-Patel House race

[RandySF]

A tight race between veteran Congressmember Carolyn Maloney and challenger Suraj Patel has emerged as New York City’s most closely watched Congressional primary — but about 20 percent of voters may end up having no say in the final outcome.

One-in-five mail-in ballots have been tossed out in New York’s 12th Congressional District, which includes Western Queens, Northwest Brooklyn and the East Side of Manhattan, according to Board of Elections documents reported by The Intercept.

The absentee ballots are crucial in the contest, where Maloney, who has served in Congress since 1993, led Patel by 648 votes after the machine tally following the June 23 Democratic primary. Roughly 65,000 NY-12 voters cast their ballots by mail, The New York Times reported.

Maloney received 41.7 percent of the in-person votes compared to Patel’s 40.1 percent. Two other candidates, Lauren Ashcraft and Pete Harrison, received about 18 percent of the overall vote total. In Queens, Patel received 540 more votes than Maloney.

On Thursday, the four candidates called on the BOE to count every absentee ballot that was invalidated because the U.S. Postal Service did not postmark the envelope or because the BOE received the ballots after June 30.




https://queenseagle.com/all/2020/7/17/thousands-of-absentee-ballots-tossed-in-tight-maloney-patel-house-race

[jorgevlorgan]

1. They should be counted

[Demsrule86]

9. You cant. The ballots are not valid without a postmark or that arrived past deadline.

It is a shame.

[Blue_true]

17. I agree with not counting them.

If non postmark or late arriving ballots are counted, soon, there is going to be fraud and bad operators recognize that they can see how a race is going on election night, then flood in ballots that get counted.

People KNOW who the candidates are and what local issues are that need to be voted on, WHY WAIT TO GET THE BALLOT FILLED OUT AND RETURNED?

[madville]

13. No, they shouldn't be counted

The rules exist as safeguards, that’s all we need is bags of unpostmarked ballots magically appearing days after an election officially closes.

[Blue_true]

18. Exactly. We won't be the benefits of such fraud either.

Officials should not open that gate. The correct thing is being done in not counting the ballots. People should have gotten off their asses and got the ballots in early.

[oasis]

2. Is this what Trump-donor Postmaster General plans to do Nov.3 ?

No postmarks to invalidate ballots.

[Cha]

3. Shit! How can they not postmark them?.. don't

the individual Post Offices have the same Standards they've always had?

How can that stooge pmg be everywhere?

[oasis]

6. "A fish rots from the head down" as the saying goes. I fear

the new PMG is in a postion to throw a monkey wrench into the timely way mail gets processed. This NY screwup could be a trial run.

[Cha]

8. It's so frightening and unbearably sad.. we've endured

4 years of this Fascist Asshole selling out America.. We can't and Won't take anymore.

I know I'm not alone in the way I feel.

[oasis]

10. Not to worry, our side has the needed brain power to

overcome whatever these nitwits are attempting to cook up. Please don't despair, we'll get through this.

[Cha]

11. I despair but I come

out of it fast.

I hop onto any positive news I can.

Mahalo, oasis!!

I dare anyone to say the Dems and repubs are the same.. not even on the same Planet!

[Cha]

14. Btw, I got my mail in ballot today.. and it's prepaid

postage to return by August 8, 2020.

I got a campaign brochure from Kai Kahehe, too.. I put it up on my kitchen wall!

I don't understand why the PO in New York wouldn't postmark the ballots? It makes no sense.

[oasis]

15. Hawaii's Democratic Party rocks.

[Cha]

16. Don't I know it.. they do Not mess Around!

[GoCubsGo]

5. Yes. It's what he's already doing.

It's as much a plot to destroy the USPS, and to hurt Jeff Bezos/Amazon, as it is to fuck with mail-in ballots. Lots of mail is already coming late. The situation already really bad everywhere.

[oasis]

7. Putting a question mark on the election seems to be the plan. nt

[GoCubsGo]

12. For sure. This is a twofer.

They've been trying to destroy/privatize the USPS for well over a decade. The election tampering is an opportunity to throw that into overdrive.

[Blue_true]

19. That is why I plan to do in person early voting here in Florida.

I just don’t trust the mail-in ballot process in THIS state enough to rely on it in a critical election. People in blue states, please don’t wax on about how great mail-in voting is, you don’t live in Florida.

[Vinca]

4. This is why I'm going to go to the polls in November, even if I have to wear a hazmat suit.

[Blue_true]

20. Same here. I plan to protective equipment up and go in to early vote.

This election is TOO important for me to be standing in a long line on Election Day or be hoping that my mail-in ballot got counted. In person, I SEE my votes getting counted.

[TheBlackAdder]

21. My county sends confirmation cards when received or notices if a ballot is invalid.

.

There really is no excuse to mail in a ballot too late, especially knowing all the tricks being played.

However, the individual states and county clerks control what they do and how they treat a mail-in.


If a ballot is mailed in early, in my NJ county, there is time to be notified if all is OK and handle it.

.

[roamer65]

22. I am dropping my ballot off at the township hall dropbox.

No way will I actually mail it.

[Polybius]

23. Any idea who this helps more?

On the tossed ballots, who did they favor?

[NotASurfer]

24. What I don't see in the article is whether any of these were dropped off

DUers have mentioned their local rules allow the ballots to be dropped into a ballot box at county offices. Those presumably would be in sealed envelopes, no postmark.

If and only if some shenanigans like that are going on would I think those ballots should be looked at. Meanwhile, mental note to get that ballot in early, and it might be worth masking up and asking to have the envelope postmarked by hand