Every Vote Counts

BALLSTON SPA — On Wednesday, November 13 the Saratoga County Board of Elections began the laborious process of opening, validating and counting every absentee ballot for each office that voters went to the polls for on November 5. Due to interest and because it could actually effect the outcome, closely contested races were counted first. Chief among these was the Town of Malta’s supervisor race, where incumbent Paul J. Sausville trailed Cynthia C. Young by 12 votes. There were a total of 83 absentee ballots that could impact this race. At the end of the absentee ballot counting, Sausville still trailed, but Young’s lead had been cut to four votes. There are still 13 military ballots to be counted, but this will not happen until Monday, November 18. Also, 23 absentee ballots were disputed by a candidate’s representative. These will be held for three days while the election commissioners rule on a given ballot’s status. If the commissioners all agree that a ballot is valid, it will be opened. If they are split, a judge will rule on a ballot’s legitimacy. The candidates have the right to dispute any ballot in court as well.