Disputed Ballots Must Be Counted In US House Primary

The New York Times reports:

A federal judge in Manhattan ruled late Monday that at least 1,000 disputed ballots in a closely watched Democratic congressional primary should be counted, upending a race that remains undecided six weeks after the election and that has drawn the attention of President Trump and embarrassed the New York City Board of Elections.

The ruling may not affect the outcome in the June 23 primary. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney is leading her Democratic challenger, Suraj Patel, by some 3,700 votes, and the judge’s decision was narrowly drawn to force the counting of only a portion of the 12,500 disputed absentee ballots.

Still, the judge’s decision is the latest twist in a race that has been used by the president to cast doubts on the efficacy of vote-by-mail systems nationwide, even as he trails in polls in his bid for re-election.