Pryor Wins Neptune City Special Election, Monmouth GOP prevails over bus loads of Democratic canvassers

Neptune City Councilman Richard Pryor, center, celebrates his reelection with Neptune City and Monmouth GOP leaders. Click photo for larger view

The streets of Neptune City were reminiscent of Newark, Jersey City or Chicago on election day Tuesday as out of town canvassers worked the town to get Democrats to come out and vote in a Special Election for a Council seat that was vacated as a result of a tie vote last November.

The State Democratic Party emailed Democrat activists statewide, imploring them to knock on doors and make phone calls in Neptune City, “because it is the home of Monmouth County Freeholder Director and Republican Leader Tom Arnone, who previously served as mayor.” U.S. Senator Cory Booker made a robocall for the Democrat candidate. An estimated 30 out of towners were bused in on Tuesday to to find Democratic votes to drag to the polls.

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Neptune City teen’s vote counts. Special election set for council race

Michaela O’Brien, photo via facebook

Michaela O’Brien’s vote has been counted, 84 days after she cast it, and as a result the Neptune City Council election between Democrat Michael Skudera and Republican Richard Pryor is tied at 602-602.  A special election between the two currently former councilmen will be held on March 22.

O’Brien, an 18 year old Brookdale student voting for the first time on November 3, voted by provisional ballot when her name did not appear in the poll book at the Neptune City First Aid Building.  O’Brien turned 18 in August and registered to vote on or about October 13, according to the election contest complaint file by Jason Sena, Esq on behalf of Pryor.

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Recount Tilts Outcome Of Neptune City Council Race

Neptune City Councilman Richard Pryor is trailing Michael Skudera by one vote after the recount

The outcome of the election for a seat on the Neptune City Council changed as a result of the recount that took place this morning at the Board of Elections office in Freehold.

Democratic candidate Michael Skudera (not the same Michael Skudera who is the former mayor of Tinton Falls) gained three votes in the hand count of Vote-By-Mail  and provisional ballots and now leads incumbent Republican Councilman Richard Pryor by one vote, 602-601.  Pryor picked up one vote in the recount.

Hand recounts of Vote-By-Mail and provisional ballots often result in additional votes being counted. The votes are first counted electronically via scanner.  During a hand recount, elections commissioners are able to determine the intent of a voter who may have not completely filled in the box on the ballot sufficiently to be  read by the scanner.

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Neptune City Council Race Tied

Neptune City Councilman Richard Pryor

Neptune City Councilman Richard Pryor, a Republican, is tied with Democratic challenger Michael Skudera now that the provisional ballots have been counted.

In the post-Election Day machine count, Pryor trailed Skudera by one vote.

Barring a change in the tally due to a recount, which neither side has announced, there will be a run-off election between Pryor and Skudera, on a date to be determined, most likely in mid-December.

Republicans are said to be reviewing the Vote-By-Mail applications from the City prior to deciding whether to file for a recount. Operatives of the notorious Asbury Park “A Team” are rumored to have managed the Vote-By-Mail operation for the Democrats.

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