Republicans Call For Recount In Parsippany Council Race

PARSIPPANY, NJ — The 2023 general election may have been three weeks ago, but the decision as to who will take over three seats on the Parsippany Town Council remains uncertain.

With only two votes separating the winner of one of the town council seats, Morris County Republican Committee Chair Laura Ali told Patch that they plan on filing for a recount later today.

Initial ballot numbers had Republicans Paul Carifi Jr., Adam Kandil and Matt McGrath in the lead, but after the counting of provisional and last-minute mail-in ballots, poll numbers now show that Democrat Judy Hernandez has pulled ahead by two votes.

Here are the latest unofficial numbers from the clerk, last updated at 2:43 p.m. on Nov. 20. Note that these numbers will remain unofficial until certified by the clerk.

• Judy Hernandez: 4,529
• Bernard Clarkin: 4,391
• Matt Kavanagh: 4,439
• Paul Carifi, Jr: 4,642
• Adam Kandil: 4,527
• Matthew McGrath: 4,568

An election recount is the process of re-tabulating votes cast in an election to ensure the accuracy of the original results. Recounts are often conducted when there is a narrow margin of victory, after allegations of election fraud, or when administrative errors are suspected.

The vote tally remains unofficial as it may not include early voting, vote-by-mail, provisional ballots, or write-in votes. Final certification of the results must be done by Nov. 22.