Suffolk begins counting 169,000 mailed ballots; process to take days

Suffolk County election officials on Monday afternoon started counting more than 169,000 mailed-in ballots that could decide several races from Congress to the State Legislature.

Democratic Elections Commissioner Anita Katz said Monday there is no estimate of when the counting would conclude. Nick LaLota, the Republican commissioner, had said he hoped to have winners in most races declared before Thanksgiving.

The uncertainty of when counting might be complete is due in a large part to legal challenges. Under law, lawyers for a candidate or political party may challenge the paper ballots. That process can be painstaking as each ballot is reviewed by lawyers for each side. A judge will make the final decision on whether a disputed ballot is accepted or rejected for technical flaws, such as an inability to read the voter's choices. Well before counting began in Suffolk on Monday, four lawyers were already lined up to make challenges.

About twice as many Democrats — more than 77,600 — submitted absentee ballots as Republicans — 39,000. However, a wild card is in play in the county that makes predictions in races difficult: more than 41,000 voters not enrolled in any party.

On Thursday, Nassau County began counting 152,118 absentee ballots and that work is expected to continue for several days.

Whether results are released as each race is completed or all at once when counting ends is subject to negotiation by Republican and Democratic election officials.

Under state laws adopted this year, voters could choose to cast absentee ballots because of concern of contracting COVID-19 at crowded polling places. The laws expanded the legal reasons for a voter to be allowed to cast an absentee ballot beyond illness or being out of the county on Election Day. More than 1.5 million New Yorkers cast absentee ballots this fall, far surpassing totals from past elections.

Through Nov. 6, the U.S. Postal Service said more than 136 million ballots were delivered nationwide during this general election, said spokeswoman Kim Frum. She said that since Oct. 1, the average time needed to deliver ballots was 2.5 days and that more than 97% of ballots were delivered within five days nationwide.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.