More than a week after New Yorkers flocked to the polls for the 2022 midterm elections some races have yet to be called. In Orange County the race between Dorey Houle and James Skoufis to represent New York’s 42nd District in the State Senate, is far from over.
In a message posted to Facebook Houle said that “contrary to what has been announced by my opponent, the race for NYS Senate District 42 has not been called.”
Houle says that there are at least 2,000 ballots, “with additional absentee ballots still being accepted” that have yet to be counted.
According to the New York State Board of Elections Houle has garnered 47.78 percent of the vote to Skoufis’ 48.94 percent. Houle, to date, has received 47,491 votes to Skoufis’ 48,661, a difference of just 1,170 votes.
In an email to Vision Times, Houle said, “The Senate Republican Committee filed a preservation order on my behalf in Orange County Court. Yesterday, John Ciampoli appeared before Justice Brown to argue the need for the order. Justice Brown has permitted my lawyers to make objections to the validity of absentee and affidavit ballots,” adding that, “As of today, the Orange County Board of Elections has resumed the processes to certify the election, including opening the absentee ballots. The process of counting the ballots has begun, but it is far from over.”
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In response, Skoufis lashed out at his opponent calling her an “election denier.”
“So, it turns out our opponent is an election denier,” Skoufis said in a recent post.
“Like our 2020 challenger, I never received a concession call from this year’s opponent. Now we know why: despite a margin victory of over 1000 votes and nearly three times that of what’s needed to trigger a recount, Dorey Houle just filed a lawsuit to impound – delay – the counting of the remaining handful of absentee and affidavit ballots,” he said.
Skoufis is arguing that “given a small number and breakdown of these remaining ballots” that it’s “impossible” for Houle to win adding that “all this does is try to purposefully cast doubt on the election which was run freely and fairly.”
He believes he has won and said that he looks “forward to another two years of representation, regardless of Dorey Houle’s delusions.”
Official results are expected over the coming days.
