LAWRENCE: Incumbents to be sworn in on Jan. 1

The two Republican Party candidates for open seats on Township Council apparently have decided not to seek a re-check of the mail-in ballots that helped to return the two incumbent Democratic Party township co

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   The two Republican Party candidates for open seats on Township Council apparently have decided not to seek a re-check of the mail-in ballots that helped to return the two incumbent Democratic Party township councilmen into office.
   Mercer County officials said Republican Party candidates Max Ramos and Glenn Collins had not asked for the mail-in ballots to be reviewed by the Nov. 20 deadline. This clears the way for Democrats James Kownacki and Stephen Brame to be sworn into office on New Year’s Day.
   At issue were 300-plus mail-in votes that Mr. Kownacki and Mr. Brame received, which let them edge past Mr. Ramos and Mr. Collins when all of the votes were counted. Republican Party officials were suspicious of those numbers, because Mr. Ramos and Mr. Collins each received 233 mail-in votes.
   When all of the votes were counted in the Nov. 5 general election, Mr. Ramos was the top vote-getter with 4,015 votes. Mr. Brame would have placed second, with 3,988 votes. Mr. Collins would have received 3,976 votes and Mr. Kownacki would have trailed with 3,915 votes.
   But the 375 mail-in votes for Mr. Brame and the 367 mail-in votes for Mr. Kownacki put them over the top. Mr. Ramos and Mr. Collins each received 233 votes by mail-in ballot. Formerly known as absentee ballots, mail-in ballots are cast in advance of an election.
   After the mail-in ballots were counted, Rick Miller, the Lawrence Township Republican Municipal Committee chairman, questioned the 300-plus mail-in votes that the Democrats received.
   The number of provisional ballots and the votes cast at the ballot box were “basically even,” but the mail-in ballots were skewed heavily toward the Democrats, Mr. Miller said. Provisional ballots are cast by registered voters for many reasons, such as a name change or a move from one election district to another.
   Mr. Miller said 31 mail-in ballots were not counted. Of those mail-in ballots, five were rejected because the signature on the mail-in ballot did not match the one on file in the voter signature book. But sometimes a person’s signature changes over time, he said, noting that a voter may have signed the book 20 years ago.
   Of the remaining mail-in ballots, two were tossed because they were not received in time, five were thrown out because the certificate was not signed and 17 were rejected for “other reasons,” which is not specified.
   Neither Mr. Ramos or Mr. Collins could be reached for comment.