After Three Week Battle, Pennsylvania House Goes Democratic

For most of us, Election Day has come and gone. But in some parts of the country the ballots are still being counted, and the margin of difference couldn't be closer. As of today, control of the Pennsylvania state house changed for the first time in more than a decade, by a single vote.

This is because Democrat Barbara McIlvaine Smith has emerged victorious over her Republican opponent by a razor thin advantage. Before the election, Democrats held only 94 seats out of 203 in the Pennsylvania legislature. Few thought they had any chance of taking control of the chamber. But after most ballots were counted, it looked as if Democrats enjoyed a 101-100 lead. Two seats were still too close to call.

Today's surprise ending came after this afternoon's absentee ballots in Chester County were finally counted. And though court challenges may follow, it brings Pennsylvanians one step closer to election closure. After all, the fight for Pennsylvania's 156th District wasn't the only election in Pennsylvania to prove that every single vote counts. As it turns out, a battle in Pennsylvania's 167th District between Republican Duane Milne and Democrat Anne Crowley was decided by only 144 votes.

A recount is almost certain. Election officials must still certify the results of the election, and it appears that as many as 11 provisional ballots for Barbara McIlvaine Smith will be challenged by Republicans, and the stakes remain high. If Barbara McIlvaine Smith emerges the eventual victor, Democrats will have won 11 state legislative chambers in the mid-terms, in addition to winning the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representative.

In a year that was already tough for Republicans, constituents were angry with Pennsylvania incumbents for voting themselves a pay raise. The election also took place amongst rumors that moderate Republican legislator Karen Beyer of Lehighton might switch her party allegiance if the Democrats took control.

Perhaps unexpectedly, many of the Democratic votes came from military and overseas absentee ballots. Also, the process revealed another fundamental weakness of voting machine tabulations. Election workers didn't count the absentee ballots on election night, because several workers inadvertently shut down polling-place scanners early. They were unable to turn the scanners back on, because then all the previous votes counted would have been erased.

While Democrats would have the advantage of making committee assignments and pushing legislation through the lower chamber, the Pennsylvania senate still remains under Republican control. The tension between the two branches could reach epic proportions during any redistricting and reapportionment plans that may come down the pike. It could also trigger a much fiercer battle for control of the state senate in 2008.