Parsippany Mayoral Race Swing: Here’s What Happened

PARSIPPANY, NJ — In a surprising turn of events, it appears Democrat Pulkit Desai has bested Republican incumbent James Barberio in Parsippany’s mayoral race.

Last week, following Election Day, the Morris County Clerk’s Office reported unofficial numbers indicating that Barberio had a 211-vote lead in the race. However, numbers updated on Wednesday show a different outcome.

The Morris County Clerk’s Website now shows Desai with a 78-vote lead ahead of the incumbent, with 9,976 votes (50.05%) against Barberio’s 9,898 (49.65%). Even if all 60 write-in votes supported Barberio instead, he’d still be behind by 18 votes.

The reason for this late switch-up was the delayed counting of mail-in and provisional ballots.

Here’s a breakdown on how provisional ballots work:

1. If a voter’s name does not appear on the voter registration list at a precinct polling place, but they believe they are registered, they are given a provisional ballot to fill out.
2. Once filled out, these ballots are set to the side and not revisited until after polls close.
3. Once polls close, the registration status of the voter is checked.
4. If the voter was in fact registered to vote on Election Day, the vote is counted just like any other ballot.
5. If the voter was not registered on Election Day, the ballot is tossed aside and not counted.

The Morris County Clerk’s Office was not aware of any requests for a recount as of Friday; however, a Parsippany Focus report said Morris County Republican Chairwoman Laura Ali is asking for a recount.

Desai joins council running mates Diya Patel and Matt Kavanagh in victory. Desai, a Marine combat veteran, would become Parsippany’s first-ever Indian mayor. It would also give Democrats a 3-2 majority on the council.

Additionally, Patel is poised to be the first Gen Z Indian-American to serve on Parsippany’s council.

“After months of hard work, conversations at doors, and countless community moments, I’m incredibly proud and humbled to share that we won this mayoral election,” Desai posted on Facebook. “Together, we made history, Parsippany has elected its first Indian Mayor. This milestone belongs not just to me, but to every person who believes in opportunity, representation, and the promise of our town’s diversity.”