Anthony Melé Wins Republican Primary (NY-CD 17)

Political Blog ^ | October 1, 2010 | Raquel Okyay

[Raquel]

Great result for tea party favorite, Congressional candidate, Anthony Melé, who won the Republican primary on September 14, but b-i-z-a-r-r-e process that took 14 days to announce the winner. So bizarre that as of Thursday, September 30 at 11:00 PM, fully 16 days after the polls closed, NY1 continues to erroneously show York Kleinhandler, the loser in the race, in the lead by 153 votes!

It cost New York State $70 million to install a new system of paper ballots in order to make things easier, not more difficult to count the vote. In fact, counting the 7,000 votes cast in District 17 is so easy a fifth grader can do it; my 17 year old son Joe can count 7,000 ballots in 15 minutes flat; or simple enough my extremely bright German Sheppard “Reiko” can count 7,000 ballots by sorting them with her nose.

What transpired here is not really about “counting” votes, we already know who won – Anthony Melé – fair and square on primary day, the issue is whether a disappointed Republican and Conservative Party leadership, unethically caused county-election officials to stall the result for 14 days with the intent of changing things in their favor (a plan that never materialized).