NBC:

The first formal request of a recount in Paterson was issued Friday for a city council election plagued by allegations of fraud.

Long-time council member William McKoy filed the recount request after losing his reelection bid by 245 votes to challenger Alex Mendez. 25 percent of the vote in McKoy’s ward was thrown out due to vote stealing and ballot fraud allegations.

In the recount petition, McKoy and his lawyer argue that a number of voters in the ward received incorrect ballots, some people were recorded as voting but claim they never received a ballot in the mail as well as the discovery of hundreds of ballots allegedly being improperly bundled.

A second race within the council was apparently decided by just eight votes with newcomer Mohammed Akhtaruzzaman defeating incumbent Shahin Khalique.