Better Late Than Never: Less than two weeks before the election, the Democrat is finally declared in a long-contested district.

Five months after the May primary, we finally have an official winner. In a 5-2 decision Wed., Oct. 25, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Tony Payton Jr. is the Democratic candidate in November’s election for state representative in the 179th Legislative District, which runs across Roosevelt Boulevard from North Philadelphia into the far Northeast.

Payton, 25, a housing counselor and college student, went up against party pick and write-in candidate Emilio Vazquez, who was kicked off the ballot for failing to properly list his employer, the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

The election hinged on 52 write-in votes for Vazquez in the 23rd Ward, 19th Division—for committee person, not state representative.

Two weeks after the primary the board of elections nixed the 52 flawed write-in votes, and certified the election: Payton, 962; Vazquez, 943.

Vazquez appealed and won.

It seems he’s not eligible to run for committee person, so the Court of Common Pleas gave him the 52 write-in votes for state representative.

Payton appealed and won.

It seems 60 people voted in the 23rd Ward, 19th Division.

Payton got 20 machine votes. Vazquez got 52 write-in votes. Twenty plus 52 equals 72.

In Philadelphia, it appears you can’t vote twice, no matter how hard you try.