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The final count of paper ballots is done in the Johnson-Martins race in Nassau. Adding the paper to the machine vote, it’s Republican Martins by 451 votes.
Democrats and Republican at first agreed that the number was 458, but after the raw numbers were punched into the computer, the computer indicated the final number was 451. Martins had 42,942 to Johnson's 42,491, the chief clerk of the Board of Elections, Lauren Corcoran-Doolan, said as she sat at the computer terminal.
[The blurred picutre, by the way, shows Republican Jack Martins, coffee cup in hand, watching the count end Friday morning at the Board of Elections in Mineola.]
Lawyers in the contested election in the 7th SD finished their work shortly after 11 a.m. Court-appointed referee A. Jeffrey Grob showed up a few minutes later to find he was not needed because the lawyers had no disagreements on the final batch.
Justice Ira Warshawsky has scheduled a rare Saturday court session to decide whether to certify the results, or order a further examination of the voting machines and the paper ballots stored inside.
If the judge certifies the election, the Republicans will have regained control of the Senate, 32-30.