McCarthy lead shrinks as absentee count continues (with video)

PHOTOGRAPHER: Kathleen Moore

After a second day of counting absentee ballots in the Schenectady mayor’s race, the 77-vote Election Night lead of Democratic Acting Mayor Gary McCarthy has shrunk to 58 votes.

There are about 325 ballots left to count in the race. Election commissioners now predict counting will be finished on Monday.

The legal team for Alliance Party founder Roger Hull said they still think Hull can win. But most of the ballots from the biggest pro-Hull districts have already been counted, and Democrats said they think McCarthy will hang on to his lead.

The count could still end up in court. The election commissioners have set aside 97 unopened ballots due to objections, and eight ballots have been opened but not counted because of stray marks or irregularities.

It may take a court ruling to decide what to do with each of those ballots, although typically attorneys drop most of their objections as the outcome of the race becomes clear.