Bhuptani wins Livingston council primary by 11 votes (Updated)

Editor’s note:  After all votes were counted on Wednesday, additional provisional ballots were discovered by Essex County election officials today and counted.  Bhuptani’s margin went from 18 to 11 over Laurie Kahn; the final results were 1,777 for Bhuptani and 1,766 for Kahn. 

Livingston Deputy Mayor Ketan Bhuptani has won the Democratic primary, defeating Laurie Kahn by 18 votes, with all vote-by-mail and provisional ballots included in the final tally.

Bhuptani won 1,768 to 1,750 for the third township council seat in a six-candidate field in last week’s primary election.

Kahn said she will not seek a recount.

“This is not a mandate, it’s a message,” Kahn told the New Jersey Globe.  “The people want change.”

Kahn had a three-vote lead on election night, but additional mail-in ballots counted last week put Bhuptani ahead by seven.

Three-term incumbent Edward Meinhardt finished first with 1,975 votes, followed by Stacey Abenstein with 1,853.  Bill Lam finished fifth with 1,370, and Daphne Dan Wang came in last with 1,320.

Kahn and Abenstein ran together; Meinhardt and Bhuptani were also running mates.

Timothy Foley is the lone Republican candidate.  The GOP has not won a Livingston race since 2010.

Mayor Shawn Klein did not seek re-election to a fourth term this year.