Politics & Government
Mike Pantelides Wins Race for Annapolis Mayor
Audience members chattered that the dispute likely wouldn't end with this count, but in the court.
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The counting continued through more than 19 grueling hours on Thursday and nearly six hours on Friday for volunteers on the city's Board of Canvassers.
Just before 4:30 a.m. Friday morning, the board decided to finish up for the night, only to continue at noon to count provisional ballots.
By early Friday, mayoral challenger Mike Pantelides led incumbent Josh Cohen by 50 votes— 3,897 to 3,847, The Baltimore Sun reported. Pantelides lead had narrowed throughout the late proceedings.
So, what's taking the count so long? Challenges from either side's attorneys, who are raising red flags at details from each ballot reviewed by the board.
In some cases, tape was used to secure the envelopes, and in another group, envelopes hand-delivered weren't time stamped.
For each of nearly 300 ballots reviewed, a team of lawyers from each side peered over the board's shoulders, hunting for a whiff of impropriety. Eventually ballots began being stacked in not two but five piles.
Cohen's campaign manager Ashley Heffernan issued a statement to members of the press late Thursday evening, calling the tactics of Pantelides' attorneys "petty."
"Republican Party operatives have been obstructing a true count of the people’s will, challenging nearly every ballot for reasons as petty as Scotch tape. Annapolitans deserve better than bully tactics," Heff wrote.
Audience members chattered that the dispute likely wouldn't end with this count, but in the court.
Attorney Jonathan Kagan, representing Cohen's campaign stressed the importance of scrutinizing the details. Kagan told The Sun that his firm had prepared challenge forms.
Meanwhile, Pantelides attorney Tim Murnane challenged nearly every single ballot.
The board will reconvene at 9 St. Mary's Street, the city's former recreation center, at noon Friday to hopefully finish the count and declare the city's next mayor.
See Patch's ongoing coverage of the election here:
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