SNOW HILL — The Worcester state’s attorney race narrowed when absentee ballots were counted, but candidate Beau Oglesby retained a 107-vote lead over incumbent Joel Todd.When election officials finished counting about 1,500 absentee ballots Thursday, Todd, a Democrat, had received 739 additional votes. Oglesby, a Republican, added 701 absentee votes.
That cut down the vote lead Oglesby earned on Election Day, but did not reverse it.
“This time four years ago, I was up by two [votes], and now I’m up by 107,” Oglesby said, referring to a razor-thin 2006 contest in which Todd prevailed by 14 votes. “It’s a much better place to be.”
Several hundred absentee ballots Worcester officials mailed out to voters who asked for them haven’t yet been cataloged or counted. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 2 and received by the time officals count absentees again on Nov. 12 could still be counted as valid votes.
“We’re quietly optimistic,” Oglesby said. “There’s still enough votes out there to make a difference, so we’ll stand by and see what happens.”
Todd did not return a call for comment late Thursday.
In another close Worcester county race, for District 4 commissioner, incumbent Democrat Virgil Shockley slightly widened his lead over Republican Ted Elder.
Shockley earned 93 absentee votes, for a total of 1,257; Elder garnered 79, for a total of 1,172. Shockley now leads by 85 votes.
So there are approximately 200 ballots left to count and Oglesby is ahead by 107. That means Todd would need 154 of those to jump ahead of Oglesby? I guess that is possible, but not likely.
ReplyDeleteI hate that I have to feel this way, but I hope those ballots are being guarded.
Sort of. They hold back 150 or 200 of the absentee ballots from the initial count and these are mixed in with any overseas ballots that come in before that deadline, which is separate from the deadline for domestic absentee ballots. This is done because there are so few overseas ballots that, if counted separately, it would be easy to tell who they voted for. If the few overseas ballots are mixed in with 150 to 200 remaining absentee ballots it helps preserve anonymity. Clear as mud, isn't it.
ReplyDeletebut if there are about 1,500 absentee ballots, how come they don't count all of them?
ReplyDeleteEspecially, in an election this close?
Think this one needs to be questioned.
Praying Todd wins as he's concerned about our neighborhood. Haven't seen Beau to any community awareness meetings.
That's the way it is 12:51 and always has been. Regular absentees are counted the Thurday after the election, provisional ballots on Nov 10 and then military ballots on even another day! It's this way stateway.
ReplyDeleteThey do count all ballots, absentee, overseas, military. All of them but just not at the same time. That's why the election won't be official until all the ballots are counted.
ReplyDelete12:51, It's funny how the politicans only show up at "community awareness meetings" when it is an election year, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteThis FACT was not lost on alot of people, believe me.