Razor-thin results between Juleigh Chin and Scott Strauss of Nassau's 9th District triggers recount
Juleigh Chin, candidate for the 9th County District seat, last month in Albertson.; Scott Strauss, the district's legislator, in March. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
The race for Nassau County's 9th Legislative District will go into automatic recount, according to the county Board of Elections, given challenger Juleigh Chin's narrow edge over incumbent Scott Strauss.
The race meets the 0.5% margin to trigger an automatic recount, elections officials said. It was unclear when the recount would begin and how long it would take. The board is closed for Veterans Day on Wednesday.
Despite the automatic recount, Nassau County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs on Tuesday night still declared Chin the winner.
Absentee ballot counting as of Tuesday showed Chin up by 77 votes, with too few ballots left to allow Strauss to come back, a margin Jacobs said made him feel "comfortable" in declaring victory in what was the closest local contest in Nassau County this election cycle. At one point last week, Chin and Strauss were only one vote apart.
If elected, Chin, 54, of Roslyn, would become Nassau's first Asian American county legislator. The district covers the western part of the county including the communities of North Hills, Williston Park, East Williston, Garden City Park and parts of New Hyde Park and Mineola.
In a statement to Newsday, Nassau County Republican Chairman Joseph Cairo acknowledged the race heading into a recount .
"While Scott Strauss currently trails by less than 80 votes, we await the outcome of the recount," he said.
Strauss (R-Mineola), a former Mineola mayor and NYPD detective, had not conceded the race as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.
If the recount goes in Chin's favor, it would allow Democrats to pick up a seat on the Republican-controlled body, shifting the balance of power to a 10-9 Republican majority.
It also would give renewed confidence in a 2023 county redistricting map that created the first Asian-influence district, where residents of Asian descent make up about 40% of voters. It also highlights the impact a change in state law that moved county legislature races from odd to even years, increasing voter participation by putting it on the same cycle as federal elections.
Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.
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