The Chautauqua County Board of Elections Commissioners have made a determination as to how and when they will process absentee ballots involved in the Pomfret Town Justice race.
According to Democratic Commissioner Norman Green, he and Republican Commissioner Brian Abram have agreed to convene a meeting on Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. to open the absentee ballots for the Pomfret Town Justice race.
"Those ballots must (have been) postmarked by November 1 and at that point in time we will open those on November 10," Green said.
The meeting will recess and reconvene again on No. 24 to open the military ballots received. According to Green they have already received four or five military ballots. All together, Green said, they are estimating there to be 231 absentee ballots.
"We did have 10 voters who were federal voters - they received a federal ballot - people usually overseas doing work for the government of some sorts. Those people did not have Town Justice on their ballots, so the figure on the Board of Elections was an accurate figure but we are now dealing with 231 potential absentee ballots," he said. "We also have not gotten a firm number on the affidavit ballots and we will get a firm number on that shortly. I figure at this point in time though we're looking at 231."
Typically military absentee ballots are opened with the normal absentee ballots, but according to Green, counties across the state have been mandated to extend the deadline to receive military ballots until Nov. 24. Green said some counties across the state, Chautauqua County not included, failed to mail their military ballots out in a timely manner and a federal court order issued mandated the state to extend the deadline.
The results from the absentee ballots should decide the race between Anthony Pulci and Ron Johnson. Tuesday evening Pulci was leading the vote total by 10 votes, 1,798 to 1,788.
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