Towmancin Supervisors Race Tied After Montco Ballot Recount

NORRISTOWN, PA — One of the closest races of the 2023 election in Pennsylvania got even closer this week, as the court-mandated recount of undated mail-in ballots in Montgomery County has brought it into a dead heat.

Towamencin Board of Supervisor candidates Kofi Osei and Rich Marino both have 3,035 votes. The pair have five days to challenge that result, and then if it remains tied, they will draw numbers to determine a randomized winner in accordance with state law.

Both candidates are considering contesting the results.

"Everything is on the table," Osei, a Democrat, told a supporter in the Towamencin Neighbors Opposing Privatization Efforts Facebook group. "Talking about strategies with some party folks and election lawyers."

The Republican Marino, meanwhile, is disputing the legality of the federal court decision last week, which ruled that mail-in ballots that were improperly dated or undated had to still be counted. It sparked a delay in the certification of results as the final count was done, and that was enough for Osei to close the four-ballot gap on Marino.

See related: Montgomery County Delays Certification Of 2023 Election Results

"I feel, and I believe a lot of others feel strongly that election rules should not be changed in the middle of an election," Marino said. "It is not fair to the candidates nor to the voters."

Osei, the challenger, ran his campaign largely against the incumbent Marino's support for the Towamencin sewer sale, one of the more polarizing topics in recent township history. While there was a groundswell against the sale — opponents say privatizing the sewer will lead to skyrocketing costs for residents, as in neighboring municipalities — Marino has been long entrenched in the community and, according to Osei, won over voters who disagreed with his policies.

Just 349 ballots across Montgomery County were impacted by the recount, but it was enough to throw two races into doubt. In Horsham, the race for township council is separated by just 22 votes.

Democrats won both other Towamencin-wide races for auditor earlier this month, part of a larger trend that saw blue victories across the board both locally and across the state.

It's not yet clear when the drawing of numbers will occur, if neither candidates formally contests the results.