Absentee Ballots

In a hotly contested primary race ultimately decided by absentee ballots, Ernest C. Michaelson squeaked past Michael J. Serbian by 20 votes to become the GOP's nominee for the District 2 County Council seat.With the sheriffs race, several legislative races and the District 2 Republican nomination hanging in the balance, the Anne Arundel County Board of Supervisors of Elections counted 1,455 absentee ballots Thursday afternoon.The new counts did not alter the outcome of any of the races following Tuesday's primary, said Nancy Crawford, county elections administrator, Crawford said the primary returns must be recounted and verified before her office declares the results final next week.

The nip and tuck battle between state Sen. John A. Pica Jr. and political newcomer Martin O'Malley in Northeast Baltimore's 43rd District is scheduled to be decided today when Baltimore election officials count an estimated 265 absentee ballots.As of yesterday, Mr. O'Malley held a five-vote lead over Mr. Pica, 3,835 to 3,830, said Gene Raynor, the state elections board chief who personally counted the printed vote tallies that are produced by the election machines. On election night, unofficial vote tallies had given Mr. Pica, a two-term incumbent, a margin of 38 votes over his opponent.

Norman Wedemeyer spent the whole day Wednesday thinking his bid for sheriff had come 146 votes short of ousting William Huggins from 28 years of office.He didn't know until yesterday evening that 995 absentee ballots still were waiting to be counted, and that he still has a chance to win the Democratic primary when the final tally comes in today."I don't think he realizes it," his wife, Mary Margaret, said, explaining her husband was out with a friend removing campaign signs from area roadways.

Two Democratic candidates in Maryland's 1st Congressional District remained locked Thursday in a too-close-to-call contest for the party's nomination, after an initial tally of absentee ballots left them separated by fewer than 100 votes. In the only still-undecided race from Tuesday's statewide primary, Cockeysville businesswoman Wendy Rosen had an 86-vote lead over physician John LaFerla of Chestertown, out of more than 25,000 ballots cast. Rosen has declared victory, but LaFerla has said the race remains too close for him to concede.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The high-visibility battle for the presidency is being fought in a third-floor court room in the Leon County court house. But one floor down, in another court room, there's a legal contest under way that also could cost George W. Bush the White House. That fight isn't being waged by Vice President Al Gore or the Democratic Party, though lawyers for both are watching it. It isn't being handled by high-priced Washington lawyers. It's not about chads or no-votes or punch-cards from Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.

Democrat Parris N. Glendening apparently clinched the Maryland governor's race yesterday, though his razor-thin lead may have to withstand a legal challenge from his Republican opponent, Ellen R. Sauerbrey.After six days of absentee ballot counting across the state and some review of the votes cast last Tuesday, Mr. Glendening led Mrs. Sauerbrey by 5,366 votes out of more than 1.4 million cast.Even if Mrs. Sauerbrey were to take all of the still uncounted absentee ballots -- about 2,500 statewide, including nearly 1,300 in Baltimore County -- she could not overtake Mr. Glendening unless she were successful in getting thousands of votes thrown out.The margin was big enough for Mr. Glendening to declare victory yesterday, and to say he intends to announce his transition plans later this week.

As two candidates in a photo finish for the GOP nomination for state comptroller awaited a final tally that may not arrive until next week, Republican gubernatorial nominee Ellen R. Sauerbrey's choice for the post acknowledged yesterday that he had lost the race.Election officials were preparing yesterday to begin counting as many as 7,800 absentee ballots in order to name a winner in the race between Larry M. Epstein, the party's 1990 nominee for comptroller, and Timothy R. Mayberry, the 1994 Republican nominee.

With plenty of angry candidates and major-change agents to choose from, Howard County voters opted instead to advance four candidates who are -- by comparison -- fine-tuners. But candidates and observers debated yesterday whether that's the message voters intended. After all votes except about 1,000 absentee ballots were tabulated Tuesday night, leading candidates were incumbent Stephen C. Bounds, with 8,414 votes; Virginia Charles, with 6,509 votes; Jerry D. Johnston, with 6,426 votes; and Patricia S. Gordon, with 6,265 votes.

Absentee ballots did not change the outcome of three tight races for City Council in Tuesday's primary, elections officials said yesterday. In the 7th District, Democrat Belinda K. Conaway topped Shawn Z. Tarrant 2,564 to 2,490. Conaway led by 53 votes on election night Tuesday. Conaway said she would continue attending community meetings and campaigning until the November 2004 election. "As an elected official, you're always campaigning," she said. "It's a never-ending process." Conaway will face Republican Owen B. Hanratty in the November 2004 election.

Separated by 51 votes, the top two candidates seeking to represent the 13th District in the Baltimore City Council are optimistic of a victory once all the ballots are counted. With all 19 precincts reporting, Warren Branch leads incumbent Vernon E. Crider and appears poised to take the East Baltimore seat, which includes the McElderry Park, Berea and Ellwood Park/Monument neighborhoods. But election officials said about 83 absentee ballots are to be counted this morning, and others might trickle in over the next couple of days.