The Board of Elections will soon begin counting paper absentee and affidavit ballots this morning, taking another step in resolving the race between Congressman Charlie Rangel and State Senator Adriano Espaillat. At the same time, Mr. Espaillat’s lawsuit to open up the process and have a judge evaluate Election Day “irregularities” will proceed at the New York State Supreme Court. And despite all the tension and drama, New Yorkers have seen this show before.

For example, one of the Espaillat campaign’s chief complaints is that 79 precincts were reported with zero votes cast in last Tuesday’s Democratic primary, which the Board of Elections blamed on police officers and local inspectors rather than a flawed system. Mayor Michael Bloomberg subsequently blasted the board as “the most easily corruptible” in the world, with editorial boards weighing in with their own criticism as well.

And if one were to replace then-Senator Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s names with Mr. Espaillat and Mr. Rangel, this story from the 2008 election would basically be identical to the current excitement: Read More