To count, or not to be count counted is the question the Bucks County Board of Elections will face Thursday about 1600 outstanding ballots as a Montgomery County Democrat claimed a win over an incumbent Republican.
The board will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday in Doylestown to review the remaining 1,600 of 3,100 provisional ballots which are expected to impact the race in the 142nd House District between Republican Joseph Hogan and Democrat Mark Moffa. Results were updated Wednesday witb Moffa now holding two-vote lead over Republican Joe Hogan.
The district comprises Penndel, Middletown Township, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Lower Southampton Township and parts of Northampton Township.
Of the 1,500 provisional ballots reviewed by Board of Elections Director Tom Freitag, most were recommended to be counted by the board.
200 provisional ballots out of the 1,500 reviewed were rejected by officials.
Meanwhile, in Montgomery County Democrat Melissa Cerrato has taken the lead in the pivotal 151st Pa. House seat, leaving House Democrats in Harrisburg on the cusp of claiming a majority for the first time in more than a decade.
With all ballots counted except for 59 provisional ballots that will be considered by the Montgomery County Board of Elections on Friday, Cerrato had 16,761 votes, to incumbent Rep. Todd Stephens’ 16,724.
59 provisional ballots remain uncounted in the Cerrato-Stephens race as of Wednesday night Those ballots along with the rest of the provisional votes will be decided on Friday, county officials said.
The apparent Cerrato win, led to the state Democratic caucus to claim victory by taking the House majority by one seat. With two Bucks County Races (142nd) 144th District, where Democrat Brian Munroe is the presumed winner with a more than 400-vote lead over Republican incumbent Rep. Todd Polinchock Democrats can possibly extend the lead to three seats in the lower chamber.
This would be the first time in 12 years Democrats would hold the majority- all be it a slim one.