Vote count in Senate race to continue

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Absentee ballot counting is expected to begin in the Democratic Primary for the 63rd State Senate District, between Tim Kennedy and Betty Jean Grant.

According to Tim Kennedy’s camp, the vote counting for the 63rd State Senate seat is expected or was expected to begin Tuesday morning or afternoon. The reason why the process didn’t start earlier all has to do with a little over 1,000 absentee ballots the Board of Elections will now be counting.

They will also be county affidavit ballots that may have been in dispute as well, because those votes could have been cast by people who were not members of the Democratic Party or may be registered outside the 63rd District.

The Kennedy camp says this is a meticulous process but one that could have taken less time. Kennedy Communications Director John Mackowiak said, “Obviously any process that needs to be not only accurate but also fair and impartial can take some time to proceed. The order that we secured from the judge last Thursday would have expedited the process, but the Board of Elections decided that they didn't like that judge’s initial ruling and chose to appeal the decision.”

Once all votes are counted, it’s important to note that any preliminary vote count we hear, will still require some oversight before the final tally can be made official. The process could take a few more days.