3 Provisional Ballots To Decide Mendham Twp. GOP Nomination For Committee

MENDHAM TWP., N.J. – The only thing standing between a second Republican nomination for Mendham Township Committee and the November General Election ballot is three provisional ballots sitting on a desk in Morristown.

After Tuesday’s Primary Election, where Mendham Township voters hit the polls to nominate two Republicans from three candidates for seats on the town’s governing body. One man came out on top, Richard Diegnan, with a total of 650 ballots, while incumbent Samuel Tolley and challenger Warren Gisser tied with 495.

See related: Gisser Takes Lead For Mendham Twp. GOP Nomination In New Tally

Those figures ticked up for both on Wednesday, when mail-in ballots were tabulated and gave Gisser a slight edge, now leading Tolley 506 to 504.

Township clerk Mary Beth Zichelli announced Tuesday that all remains is the counting of provisional ballots, and at the earliest would not be done by the county until Tuesday, June 14.

See related: 2 Tied For Second GOP Nomination On Mendham Twp. Committee

Provisional ballots must be certified by the commissioner of elections before they are counted toward a total. These types of votes occur when a resident claims they are one party and they are registered as another; if they have moved and the address did not get changed in the records; or any other reason a poll worker tells the resident they cannot vote using the polling booth.

Once the county opens the provisional ballot and checks the validity, it can count toward the total, Zichelli said.