UPDATE: 3rd School Board Winner Uncertified

The unofficial vote count tallied after Wednesday's school election showed decisive approval of the 2011-12 school budget and the two top candidates, but the final outcome for the candidate who will hold the third place on the school board awaits a count of provisional ballots cast for Beverly Cwerner and Priti Shah.

According to the county Board of Election office, those provisional ballots — some of which may need to be verified as legitimate — are expected to be added to the final vote count on Monday.

Township Clerk Denise Szabo estimated on Wednesday that approximately 119 votes fall into the category of provisional ballots. She also reiterated on Thursday that the vote counts issued by her office are considered as unofficial until a final count is certified by the Somerset County Board of Elections.

Among the nine candidates seeking three positions on the Board of Education, incumbent Susan McGowan led with 1,657 votes, followed by Linda Wooldridge with 1,381 votes in Wednesday's count, which included absentee ballots.

The unofficial count showed the winner for the third board seat as incumbent Beverly Darvin Cwerner, with 1,163 votes. The fourth place candidate was Priti Shah, with a preliminary count of 1,146 votes.

The 2011-12 school budget was approved by voters by 2,353 for, and 1,852 against, according to figures from the township clerk and school district.

Voters approved a $74,368,937 tax levy to support next year's school budget that is a 2.08 percent increase above this year's tax levy.

School Business Administrator Nick Markarian also cautioned that the 17-vote spread is too close to call for a third winner, until provisional ballots are added into the total.

"I am just patient," Shah said on Thursday, although she added she is "kind of anxious" and wishes the results could be in before the weekend.

Szabo said more than 600 absentee ballots were ordered from the county, and instead of everyone mailing them back, some voters instead brought them to the polling site. Regulations do not allow voters to hand in absentee ballots at the poll, but those voters were allowed to cast provisional ballots, which are later reviewed and verified by the county Board of Elections.

Voter turnout was 23.04 percent, counting absentee ballots, but not provisional ballots, Szabo said.

Asked on Thursday why she felt she had won from among the nine candidates for three seats, Wooldridge said she has been an active volunteer in the schools. "I think as a result a lot of people know me." 

Wooldridge added she had worked hard to prepare her information for the candidates' roundtable held at Ridge High School on April 7.

Now that she will be seated on the board, Wooldridge said she expects to have much she needs to learn to be a board member.  "My focus is going to be on what's best for the students," she added.

Unofficial results for the candidates were: