With pressure coming from multiple fronts, Republican Elections Commissioner Jason Nastke finally gave up stonewalling the Ghent vote count on Tuesday afternoon.
When the 44 remaining absentee and affidavit ballots were counted, Democrats Koethi Zan and Patti Matheney picked up 36 votes, with their Republican opponents Craig Simmons and Pete Nelson picking up seven.
The 29 vote gain means both Matheny and Zan win the Ghent town board seats, giving the Democrats in majority on the Gheby board for the first time that anyone can remember.
Matheney and Zan hired their own attorneys with help of grassroots supporters, to protect against the disenfranchisement efforts from the Republicans. The Columbia County Democratic Committee declined to contribute any funding to their legal cause.
The final tally, after the Democrats picked up 36 votes and the Republicans picked up seven, was:
Patti 995 + 36 = 1,031
Koethi 968 + 36 = 1,004
Craig 986 + 7 = 993
Pete 964 + 7 = 971