Ritter concedes Lehigh County judge race
Attorney David Ritter conceded Tuesday in the contested 2021 election campaign for judge on the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas after a months-long battle over undated ballots that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
“There will be no recount, nor any objections to the certification of this election,” he said. “I remain disappointed in the way the legal issues were resolved, and I used every available tool to
defend my rights and the rights of those who voted for me. But now a 10th Judge must be seated on the bench. As both a resident and a 25-year employee of Lehigh County, I believe that the citizens, courthouse employees, and nine sitting Judges all deserve to have a full contingent of Judges in place.
“For the good of Lehigh County, this election must be concluded,” he said.
Ritter had a 71-vote lead over Zachary Cohen following the election in 2021, but his seeming victory was never certified as courts tried to determine the fate of 257 ballots that were disqualified because the voters who cast them did not include the date next to their signatures.
A long series of court actions led to a federal appeals court ruling May 20 that held that a requirement that such ballots be dated by voters was immaterial.
This month the Supreme Court, which was split 6-3, issued an unsigned order denying an effort to delay that decision. As a result, a federal judge ordered Lehigh County to count the undated ballots. That process last week ended with Cohen ahead of Ritter by five votes, 32,669 to 32,664. Those results remain unofficial until final certification Wednesday, according to Chief Elections Clerk Timothy Benyo.
There were three seats open on the bench. Republicans Tom Caffrey and Tom Capehart won the first two spots, but Ritter and Cohen were locked in a battle for the third and final spot. Democrats Maraleen Shields and Rasheed Santiago were also in the race.