In the rural Catskills, 2013 was the Year of the Absentee Voter.
On Nov. 5, Election Day, dozens of races around the region were too close to call from the machine count alone. In a few of them, a count of the absentee and affidavit ballots reversed the results of the initial count -- and revealed some surprising differences of opinion between voters who cast their ballots at the polls and those who mail them in.
With a population of just over 200 residents, Hardenburgh is one of the Catskills' smallest and most rural towns, and many of its residents vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballots upended the results of three races in the town this year, including the supervisor's race, where former supervisor Jerry Fairbairn has won his old job back 68-61 over incumbent Paul Ohsberg. In the machine count, Ohsberg led Fairbairn by a hefty margin, 49-31. The absentee count also shifted the results of two Hardenburgh town council races, yielding the victory to challengers William Schluter and John Sackel over incumbents Sherry Bellows and Douglas Odell.
Nearby Middletown also had a dramatic reversal. In the machine count, Middletown supervisor Marge Miller trailed challenger Nelson Delameter 467-489, but absentee ballots handed her a ten-vote margin of victory, 523-513.
In the Schoharie County town of Wright, Republican Amber Bleau and Democrat Karl Remmers contended for the seat of the town's late supervisor Bill Goblet. Remmers was ahead by three votes on Election Day, but a count of the absentee ballots has yielded the victory to Bleau, 343-338.
One of the Catskills' most high-profile races was reversed by a count of absentee ballots: Ulster County's legislative District 21, where incumbent legislative chair Terry Bernardo, a Republican, lost narrowly to Democratic challenger Lynn Archer in the final count, 1,201-1,153. The 21st was one of two districts in the county that switched from red to blue in the most recent election; in nearby District 2, longtime incumbent GOP legislator Robert Aiello lost to Democrat Chris Allen. With the results from these two districts, Democrats have now gained control of the county legislature, which has gone from a narrow GOP majority of 12-11 to a Democratic majority of 13-10.
Democrats narrowly missed picking up another seat in Ulster County's District 14, where incumbent Craig Lopez beat challenger Tim Distel by just nine votes in the final count.
A proposition to extend the term of the town clerk in Marlborough from two to four years has passed narrowly, reversing an earlier defeat in the machine count. A similar proposition to extend the term of the highway superintendent, which had also lost in the machine count on Election Night, stayed defeated.
In Conesville, a town council race was reversed by the absentee count, and two highway superintendent candidates are now tied, 154-154.
There's also a tie in the town of Delaware's three-way race for two town council seats. The Sullivan County Democrat reports that the town board may have to appoint an interim town council member, to serve until another election can be held next November.
Voters in Lexington will have to wait until next week for the final results of close races for town council and highway superintendent, according to a Greene County Board of Elections official.
Plattekill voters are also waiting for the outcome of a race for town justice. In a tally that includes absentee ballots, the count stands at 1,049 votes for Democrat John Sisti, and 1,050 for Republican Robert Murphy. One absentee ballot remains uncounted because Murphy's supporters have challenged its validity, said Ulster County election commissioner Victor Work. The Republicans have until Friday, Nov. 21 to produce a court order to show cause as to why the county should not count the ballot.
"Should they not get it, we will open it and count it," Work said. If the vote results in a tie, the town board will have the power to appoint a town justice for an interim one-year term, and another election will be held for a justice to serve a new four-year term in November.
In other close races around the region, absentee ballots upheld previous results.
Challenger Nicholas Dellisanti has defeated incumbent supervisor Susan O'Rorke in New Baltimore, 596-560.
Fulton's incumbent supervisor, Phillip Skowfoe, had just a two-vote lead over challenger Frank Tatten in the machine count. Skowfoe won by seven votes in the final count, 230-223.
Blenheim supervisor Robert Mann, who lost the machine count to challenger Shawn Smith 64-70, lost even more ground in the absentee ballot count. The final count stands at 66-77.
In Windham, police chief Stacy Post emerged victorious in the supervisor's race against incumbent Stephen Walker, though a count of absentee ballots shrank her 26-vote lead to a gap of just six votes.
The outcome of Schoharie's town council race was unchanged by the absentee count: Matt Brisley and Allen Tavenner won seats on the council, with Tavenner narrowly defeating runner-up John Wolfe.
Roxbury's three-way race for two seats on the town council was close on Election Night, but a final tally upheld the results: Incumbent Allen Hinkley kept his seat with 501 votes, and incumbent Gene Cronk bested challenger Melony Lee narrowly for the other seat, 435-416.
A three-way race for two seats on the Woodridge village board of trustees was unchanged by absentee count: Leni Binder and Isaac Yits Kantrowitz won seats with 123 and 106 votes respectively, while Louis Saperstein lost with 92.
Tusten's close town justice race, with four candidates vying for two seats, was also unchanged: Thomas Nuttycombe was the front-runner with 454 votes, followed by David Casey with 246. Candidates Carmine Rufrano, with 215 votes, and Charles Hoffman, with 89, lost their bids for election.
This post has been updated to include information about Plattekill's town justice race, and to correct the spelling of Melony -- not Melody -- Lee's name.
