NY-20: Republican Lawyer Will File to Impound Ballots in Dutchess County

Well, that was quick. Dutchess County Election Commission Fran Knapp tells us that John Ciampoli, a Republican lawyer, has informed her that he plans to file in Supreme Court to impound ballots from that county in today's special election. She says her understanding is that he wants the paper ballots impounded, though his filing may extend to the machines as well. Ciampoli was involved in the push to get Libertarian Eric Sundwall off the ballot and is known as a hard political infighter -- and Dutchess County Supreme Court Judge James Brands is said to be sympathetic to the Republican Party. (Ciampoli filed his Sundwall petition challenge with Judge Brands.)

We figured the paper ballots would be important in this expectedly close race, but we didn't imagine the Republicans (whose candidate, Jim Tedisco, trails) would start talking about impounding them six hours before the polls closed.

Update: NewsMax makes the Republican case: "N.Y. GOP Moves To Block Franken-Style Vote Grab." They can spin, but can they win?