The race for Schoharie County Sheriff is like many other local contests––almost too close to call.
Tony Desmond, running on the Democratic line, led Republican Bill Slater by only 90 votes according to unofficial results late Tuesday.
With all 27 districts reporting, Mr. Desmond had 4,019 votes to Mr. Slater’s 3,929.
Those results, however, are unofficial because 333 military and absentee ballots are still outstanding, according to Election Commissioner Cliff Hay.
Also, five Cobleskill election machines have been impounded, and results from those can be counted within the next 10 days, Mr. Hay and fellow Commissioner Lew Wilson said.
The absentee and military ballots must be in two weeks, so the election may be in the balance till November 17.
“We have to wait,” Mr. Hay said. “On the 17th, it will be official.”
Both candidates knew it would be a tight race, but maybe not this tight.
“I knew it would be close,” said Mr. Slater, the county’s undersheriff. “We just have to wait to see the numbers.”
Mr. Desmond, currently Sharon supervisor, agreed.
“It was a good, clean race, and this shows there was a lot of interest,” he said. “I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.”