What to Know
- A New Jersey appeals court has rejected a recount in a GOP U.S. Senate primary race.
- Hirsh Singh petitioned for a recount after he lost the primary to Rik Mehta by about 9,000 votes, claiming he would have won if the mail-in ballot procedures put in place for the primary were nullified.
- Singh also sought to invalidate the mail-in ballot procedures for the November election.
A New Jersey appeals court on Wednesday rejected a losing GOP U.S. Senate candidate's bid to invalidate the primary results and stop the state's mail-in ballot program for the general election.
Hirsh Singh petitioned for a recount after he lost the primary to Rik Mehta in July by about 9,000 votes out of approximately 300,000 ballots cast, claiming he would have won if the mail-in ballot procedures put in place for the primary were nullified. Singh also sought to invalidate the state's mail-in ballot procedures for the November general election.
Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued an executive order in May declaring the primaries would be conducted largely by mail-in ballots, to protect against the further spread of COVID-19. In August, he authorized the mailing of ballots to all registered voters for the general election.
In the court’s ruling Wednesday, the three-judge panel rejected Singh's claims, upholding the primary results and the state’s mail-in ballot program. They wrote that Singh can still petition a lower court to consider his claims of irregularities in the counting of mail-in ballots in some locations.
A message was left with Singh seeking comment.
Mehta is challenging incumbent Democrat Cory Booker for one of New Jersey's two Senate seats.
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