A judge ultimately determined the outcome following a tie-vote in the Democratic council primary.
MONROE TWP. -- The two-month dispute over who will represent the Democratic party in November's race for a township council seat has been settled.
Following a Superior Court trial in which several provisional and absentee ballots were reviewed, incumbent Marvin G. Dilks Jr. has been named the winner by a vote of 479-476.
Marvin G. Dilks Jr.His challenger, Richard Coe, was originally named winner in June after a tie vote of 478 votes each meant the township party's executive committee had to select a winner.
They chose Coe as Dilks sought a recount and eventually petitioned a judge to hear the case. In challenging the vote, Dilks contended that some ballots should not have been accepted while some that were rejected should have been counted.
Judge Eugene J. McCaffrey Jr. reviewed a handful of questionable ballots, concluding that two that were counted should be tossed.
One of the voters who cast a ballot for Coe had changed her party affiliation from Democrat and, therefore, was not eligible to vote in the party primary, Pugach said.
The judge found that the signature on another resident's voter registration form was not his own, though the voter contended that he filled out and signed the registration form himself. His vote was tossed after the judge studied handwriting samples.
In addition to those two, Dilks picked up another in his favor after a ballot that was rejected because the voter was listed as registered to vote in Florida was permitted. The judge determined that the Florida registration was an error made by election officials in that state and that he was still registered to vote in New Jersey.
"I think what it represents is an opportunity to make sure that everybody who should be voting legally gets the opportunity and gets a chance to have their voice heard," said Dilks attorney Brett Pugach. "I think that (Dilks) is very pleased with how things went. It just goes to show the importance of every vote."
Chris Milam, chairman of the Monroe Democratic Party/Executive Committee, noted that the party now needs to focus on winning the November election.
"My number one goal is we have to get Democrats elected," Milam said. "The judge saw some inconsistencies, and in our legal system in the United States, we certainly have to live by his ruling. As a party we are looking to move forward."
Following the judge's ruling, Milam said he reached out to Dilks to offer his congratulations on winning the primary.
The state Attorney General's Office represented the county elections office and the board of elections during the trial.
"We are happy to see the election come to an outcome and hopefully the voters will see how every single vote counts," said Stephanie Salvatore, Gloucester County's superintendent of elections. "It was a long process to come to a decision, and I feel the judge was very careful in listening to testimony and coming to the final decision."
Dilks will now face Republican William Blong in November for the Ward 1 seat.
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.