UPDATED: 7:52 p.m., Wednesday:
The outcome of the close Middletown Township Board of Supervisors race switched as the final batches of mail-in ballots were counted Wednesday afternoon.
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Unofficial results from early Wednesday morning put Republicans Dana Kane and Andy Warren ahead of Democrats Bernadette Hannah and Tom Tosti, who is the current supervisors’ chairperson. Warren was ahead of Hannah by just seven votes in the morning.
However, when the final batches of mail-in ballots were counted, the numbers changed. Mail-in ballots are used by both parties, but data in Bucks County this cycle has shown Democrats used them more than Republicans.
Kane, a Republican, and Hannah, a Democrat, came ahead with the most votes to fill the two six-year supervisor terms. Tosti and and Warren did not receive enough votes to win.
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One caveat is that about 1,100 potentially defective mail-in ballots will have to be reviewed and the Bucks County Board of Elections will vote on whether each one is accepted or denied next Tuesday. Provisional in-person ballots and overseas and military ballots will be also counted next Tuesday.
While the numbers are not huge and the voters spread across the county, they can make a difference in very tight races.
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Whether one seat or two, Middletown Township Republicans will cheer over gaining representation back among the supervisors.
Stories of thousands of ballots that were delivered hours after polls closed and swung the race were untrue, officials said, noting the race changed because the final batches of mail-in ballots were being counted.
The bulk of Bucks County in-person and mail-in ballots were tallied before sunrise Wednesday, but a few remaining batches were counted Wednesday after election staffers returned to work. The two political parties had observers watching vote tallying.
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Original Story:
It has been said that Middletown Township is among the most moderate municipalities in Bucks County, and that proved true Tuesday with a close election.
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Republicans Dana Kane and Andy Warren had more votes than Democrats Bernadette Hannah and Tom Tosti, who serves as chairperson of the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors.
Kane earned 6,003 votes and Warren had 5,857, while Hannah earned 5,850 and Tosti had 5,823 votes. The Bucks County Board of Elections still needs to count provisional ballots and military and overseas ballots, which could impact the results of the extremely tight margin between Warren and Hannah.
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Democrats presently hold every seat on the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors.
“An elected Township Supervisor is responsible for deciding issues of public safety, spending, growth management, zoning, roads and streets, code enforcement, environment and how to pay for it all,” according to the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors.
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Incumbent Republican Tax Collector Ray Chapman beat his Democratic opponent Hannah Stackawitz by about 20 percent.
Republican Mathew Tharakan won over Democrat Jennifer Wilityer for auditor, and Republican Kristi Ann Morris beat Democrat Matthew Diaz for the other auditor seat.
Republican Chuck Benhayon, the incumbent, won the constable seat as he ran unopposed.
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