Control of county Legislature hangs in the balance

Although the Nassau County Board of Elections has nearly completed its vote count in all 45 election precincts, the question still remains: Which political party will control the majority in the Nassau County Legislature?

In the 14th and 18th District legislative races, the Republican and Democratic candidates are separated by fewer than 60 votes, so the two races remain too close to call.

In the 14th District, incumbent Joseph Belesi, a Republican, leads Democratic challenger Eva Pearson, 5,622 votes to 5,571, a margin of 51 votes.

In the 18th District, Republican candidate Robert Germino Jr. leads Democratic challenger Delia DeRiggi-Whitton by 37 votes, with a total vote count of 6,040 to 6,003. Both Germino and DeRiggi-Whitton are vying for the seat currently held by Diane Yatauro, the Legislature's minority leader who decided not to run for re-election.

According to William Biamonte, the Nassau County Board of Elections’ Democratic commissioner, there are about 500 absentee ballots, affidavits and emergency ballots for each of the two tightly contested legislative races that still need to be counted. As to when the final results are expected, Biamonte said, "Hopefully the week before Thanksgiving.”

If an absentee ballot was postmarked before Nov. 7, and received by the Board of Elections before Nov. 15, it will still be included in the vote, according to Biamonte. "So that number will change daily,” he said.

The other 17 races currently have at least a 1,000-vote difference, with the exception of the 3rd District, where Democratic challenger Carrie Solages leads 16-year incumbent John Ciotti by 439 votes. In that race, Democrats declared a victory on Election night.

Of those 17 races, eight Democratic legislators and nine Republican legislators have sizeable leads. The absentee ballots, which control the fate of the remaining two races, very much control the fate of majority as well. A party needs 10 seats to control the Legislature. "This election will only be decided by 40 or 50 people,” said Biamonte. "Nobody won the majority on Tuesday night."

In 2009, Republicans took control of the Legislature 11-8. This was after the Democrats held the majority for a decade.