A vote to fill Nellie Pou’s seat in the New Jersey State Senate tonight ended in a 88-88 tie between Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter (D-Paterson) and Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly (D-Paterson).
County committee members from the 35th legislative districts are preparing to hold a new vote.
The two Democrats are competing in a special election convention to replace Nellie Pou, who held the the seat for thirteen years before resigning earlier this month to take her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Turnout in the first round of voting was 78.4%, with 43 county committee members not in attendance this evening.
The winner — if there is one this evening — is expected to immediately resign their Assembly seat so a second vote may be held to elect a new assemblyman. Three candidates are in the race: Paterson Councilman Al Abdelaziz, Paterson school board member Kenneth Simmons, and Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah.