Springfield Democrats Edge Republicans in Unofficial Count

It looks like it may have came down to one vote. 

According to observers of the Springfield election, Democratic Springfield candidate Margaret Bandrowski has beaten Republican Deputy Mayor Jerry Fernandez by a single vote to win a seat on the Springfield Township Committee.

The vote has not yet been certified, but sources from the township's Democratic and Republican parties have independently said that Bandrowski won the election by a slim margin. The only point of contention is how slim the margin is.

Former Springfield Township Attorney and Freeholder elect Bruce Bergen observed the Board of Election count on Monday and said that Bandrowski won by a single vote. A source from the Springfield Republicans said the margin was four votes but was still in Bandrowski's favor. 

During the election, New Jersey residents were able to cast late provisional ballots because of Hurricane Sandy. The mail-in votes, meant for residents displaced by the storm, had to be postmarked by Nov. 5. 

Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi said that the earliest she expected to be able to certify the vote was Nov. 26. Certification had earlier been projected for Nov. 21.

The Springfield election was very close and the late-counted ballots were expected to be a deciding factor. With 3173 David Barnett garnered the most absentee and regular polling place votes.  At 3141 and 3129, respectively, only 12 votes separated incumbent Republican Jerry Fernandez from Democratic challenger Margaret Bandrowski in the original vote.