By Tom Precious
ALBANY – Here is the numerical breakdown of absentee voters in the 46th Senate district who in the coming weeks could help determine which party controls the state Senate.
The still-undetermined results in the race between Republican George Amedore and Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk will be decided by the counting of more than 9,000 absentee ballots. That process can begin Monday, and will be done one county at a time on an alphabetical basis.
After the Tuesday defection of a Brooklyn Democrat to the Republican caucus, the Republicans can win the Senate if Amedore wins. If Tkaczyk wins, the Democrats will ensure they have the numbers, but not necessarily the power if a breakaway group of four Democrats should decide to join with the Republicans in a power-sharing deal.
Here, then, is the handy count sheet, as provided by Senate Republicans, for the 46th Senate district – a new seat the Republicans added during this year’s redistricting in hopes of improving their odds of retaining the Senate.
Party breakdown of outstanding absentee ballots: 3,062 Republicans, 3,318 Democrats, 182 Conservatives, 416 Independence Party, 2,003 “blank” or non-enrolled and 11 Working Family Party members, and a few dozen other minor parties.
By county: 1,938 are from Albany, 1,806 from Greene, 1,117 from Montgomery, 947 from Schenectady and 3,223 from Ulster. Democrats say their candidate, a farmer who lives in the Hilltowns outside Albany, will do especially well in Ulster County, while Republicans say Amedore, a local Albany-area homebuilder, will do well in Albany and Schenectady County. Still, 773 Democratic ballots from Albany are in the mix compared to 530 Republicans.
Before machine recounts, which are underway this week, Tkaczyk was ahead by 139 votes after last Tuesday's elections.
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Albany | Elections
