Today the count of the affidavit and absentee ballots in the 13th C.D. started both in the Bronx and in Manhattan. The Bronx Board of Elections is responsible for the Assembly Districts in the Bronx, while the same is true for the Manhattan Board of Elections and the A.D.'s in that borough. We stopped by the Bronx Board of Elections this morning to see how the count was going to take place, and who would be representing each candidate. Mr. Mike Nieves was heading the Rangel team, while Ms. Coreen Roller was heading the Espaillat team.
We were told that 91 affidavit ballots and about 500 absentee ballots were to be tallied. The rules of the ballot counting were laid out by veteran BOE worker Kevin Fiore to each team, and the starting time as well as break, lunch, and daily ending times. The first two Bronx Assembly Districts to be tallied were the 78th and 81st as it was said those were the two largest districts to be counted of those in the Bronx. We left shortly after the first ballot was checked, as we heard that the Bronx Supreme Court Judge had put a hold on revealing the results of the ballots. We suspect that it may take a few weeks to have the complete results, and then it looks like there should be a full manual recount of all the ballots by the BOE.
Below are a few photos of the count.
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| You can see the ballots to be counted in baskets on the table to the left. |
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| BOE worker Kevin Fiore explains the process of how the ballots are to be counted to both sides. |
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| Bronx Board of Election Republican head Anthony Robestelli going over Bronx 13th C. D. election Assembly books. |
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| BOE workers start going over 78th A.D. affidavit and absentee ballots. |
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