John Venditto closes gap in Oyster Bay supervisor race

Oyster Bay supervisor candidate John Mangelli's lead over incumbent John Venditto shrank Friday to 40 votes, a Nassau County Board of Elections official said.

On election night, Mangelli had a 68-vote lead. After the first full day of counting absentee ballots on Friday, Mangelli, who is unaffiliated but ran on the Democratic line, had 22,654 votes and Republican Venditto had 22,614.

The board examined 500 ballots on Friday, and 395 were counted, the elections official said. There were challenges to 105 based upon voters' signatures, registration addresses and other factors, the elections official said. About 1,400 ballots remain to be counted, the official said.

Officials have said the counting may be done by the middle of next week.

Democratic and Republican representatives are present for the counting of each ballot.

Venditto, seeking a 10th term, could not be reached for comment Friday night.

Mangelli said he's frustrated his lead is diminishing.

"I feel like I'm the winner," he said. "I feel I won on Election Day, and I really do feel that these absentee ballots can be manipulated."

Mangelli said he worries that supporters of any candidate can persuade undecided absentee voters to vote a certain way, although he added that "I'm not saying anybody did anything wrong."

"I'm still happy and amazed I'm as close as I am," Mangelli said. "I do believe that he's been in office long enough, and I wish he would concede and let me be the winner."

The vote count continues on Monday.

On Tuesday, elections officials said Mangelli's lead dropped by eight votes after the counting of 51 emergency ballots that are used when machines malfunction.