NY-1 recanvas erases a 4,000 vote D lead?

[FBaggins]

Anyone in the area with more information?

http://www.politico.com/blogs/maggiehaberman/1110/Sources_Bishop_now_up_in_NY1_count_.html?showall

I'll post more on this when I have it, but two sources who are familiar with the recanvassing of the voting machines in NY-1 tell me that GOPer Randy Altschuler, who'd been down several thousand votes to Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop is now up between 300 and 400 with the recanvass completed.

There's over 9,000 absentee ballots to be counted starting next week, but the Republican had been down by 3,400.

UPDATE: Altschuler spokesman Rob Ryan says the number is 392 and that it was the number their campaign lawyer received from the Board of Elections.

I haven't heard back yet from the BoE or Bishop's camp.

*CORRECTED from earlier. Thanks.

A bit more: Apparently Altschuler's team asked to have the machine votes impounded this morning. One veteran Long Island watcher writes in that the machines weren't expected to be recanvassed until next week.

UPDATEx2: Reid Epstein reached former Bishop aide and Brookhaven Democratic committee member Jon Schneider, who's still close to the congressman, who confirmed the incumbent is now down 392 votes.

[ananda]

1. Boy does that look fishy!

nt

[FBaggins]

2. Yep. Our candidate appears to agree.

UPDATEx3: Schneider replied just now, "This abrupt shift raises considerable questions about the new voting system in Suffolk County. At the end of the day, it is vital that Suffolk County residents have confidence in the final results, which is why there needs to be a hand count of all paper ballots. This is exactly the reason that Suffolk County has a system with paper backup. Such a review will produce a result that everyone can have confidence in. We also believe that at the end of this process that Tim Bishop will continue to represent Suffolk County."

Schneider said the plan is for the paper backup to get counted before they cut to the absentees.