One Single Vote: Mendham Twp. Committee Race Remains Undecided

MENDHAM TOWNSHIP, NJ — Polls in New Jersey have been closed since 8 p.m. Tuesday night, and most races in New Jersey have already been decided. The race for Mendham Township Committee, on the other hand, remains undecided with just a single vote separating two candidates.

Republican Jordan Orlins leads Democrat Melissa Saharko with just one vote based on unofficial tallies, 933 to 932. Orlins' running mate, Thomas Baio, is currently in the lead, with 940 votes. The second Democratic candidate, Trishna Goswami, has 912 votes.

"We are thrilled with the excellent turnout last night and so thankful to our supporters. We are confident that, once all votes are counted, we will be celebrating an historic victory. We are excited to start the work of serving Mendham Township residents and showing the region what a remarkable place this is," Saharko told Patch on Wednesday.

"Jordan Orlins and Tom Baio, Republican candidates for Mendham Township Committee, wish to thank the residents of Mendham Township for their support during this election season. Election Day was exciting and we had a very good turn out! Jordan and Tom are leading at the moment but the counting is not over. Hopefully in the next few days there will be resolution and winners will be announced. In the meantime, rest assured we are carefully monitoring the process to ensure it is fair, accurate and complete. Mendham Township is a phenomenal place to live! Your care for its future, as evidenced by your turn out on Election Day, validates Mendham Township’s exceptional performance and reputation in the state of New Jersey and beyond," Orlins and Baio said in a statement sent on Thursday morning.

This is one of the closest races in New Jersey, and possibly one of just two with a margin this close. The race for Holmdel Board of Education remains just one vote apart, and a school board race in Pine Beach has a two-vote difference.

With just a single vote between Orlins and Saharko, Patch reached out to Mendham Township Clerk Maria Coppinger to ask what's next in deciding a winner.

Have All Of The Votes Been Counted?

Not all of the votes are tallied yet. The numbers reported on Election Night are "uncertified results." Those results only count in-person votes and mail-in ballots that were received prior to Election Day.

There are two types of votes not counted, and those could change the result of the election.

"The numbers do not include the 48-hour mail-in ballot results and it also does not include Provisional Votes," Coppinger told Patch. It's not clear how many mail-in ballots have not yet been returned.

If They're Not All Counted, Why Have We Seen Other Winners Declared?

When results are declared on Election Night, it's because the lead one candidate has over another is too great to be reasonably overcome by the remaining mail-in votes. How big of a margin a candidate needs to reasonably be a winner before all of the votes are counted depends on several factors, including turnout expectations, but a one-vote difference is almost always considered "too close to call."

When Can We Expect The Counting To Be Done?

"I would say by Friday morning/afternoon we should have additional information," Coppinger said.

Patch will have that information for readers as soon as its available. You can have it delivered straight to your inbox by subscribing to the Patch newsletter.

Is A Recount A Possibility?

There is a chance one, or both, candidates could ask for a recount. Coppinger pointed Patch toward the New Jersey statute that governs recounts, Section: 19:28-1: Application for recount. It reads in full:

19:28-1. When any candidate at any election shall have reason to believe that an error has been made in counting the votes of that election, the candidate may, within a period of 17 days following such election, apply to a judge of the Superior Court assigned to the county wherein such district or districts are located, for a recount of the votes cast at the election in any district or districts.

This year, that 17-day deadline is Nov. 22. Neither Orlins nor Saharko have indicated that they're considering a recount, but that process would typically not be started until all of the votes are counted.

Has This Happened Before?

Surprisingly, it has. In 2016, Warren Gisser bested incumbent Sam Tolley by a single vote in the June primary for the Republican committee nomination. You can read more about that here.