Politics

Corwin gets court order, takes first step toward recount in NY-26 race

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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Apparently anticipating a tight race, Republican Jane Corwin took the first step toward a recount by getting a court order from the New York Supreme Court preventing a certification of a winner in the special election in New York’s 26th district, taking place today, until a show-cause hearing is held before a judge later this week, the Buffalo News reports.

The order was signed by State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia, following a petition filed by Corwin on Monday. The show-cause hearing would be on Thursday, at the earliest.

Until that court hearing, “the judge also impounded all voting equipment and enjoined the canvass of paper ballots ‘except as directed by this court’ and ‘temporarily enjoined and restrained from certifying’ the winner,” says the Buffalo News.

The move is a first step toward a recount, according to New York based Republican political consultant. It will “secure all the machines and paper and ballots this evening” which “preserves the security – the chain of evidence, for lack of a better term.”

That means that if the race is close after the election night results, and still close following a full canvass after that, then it will go to the show-cause hearing as the first step toward a possible recount. If the race is not close enough after the initial results and canvass, then Corwin’s lawyer will likely withdraw the petition for a show-cause hearing.

In a released statement, the Corwin campaign said filing the petition was not an unusual step.

“We have anticipated a very close election from the start, and the action taken today is standard procedure and very typical in close campaigns. Our campaign’s goal is to ensure that every legal vote cast is properly counted accurately and fairly,” the statement read.

The latest polls show Corwin trailing her Democratic opponent Kathy Hochul by a margin of 4 to 6 points.