Rep. Tim Bishop’s campaign reports the Democratic congressman picked up 20 additional votes this morning and now leads his GOP challenger, Randy Altschuler, by 247 votes.

Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Peter Mayer is scheduled to be at the local Board of Elections this afternoon, and Bishop’s team plans to push for rulings on challenged ballots in an effort to declare a winner in what is the nation’s last unresolved House race.

“It’s December, we’re the last race, it’s time to count ballots and determine a winner,” Bishop spokesman Jon Schneider said.

“As Tim Bishop continues to pick up votes and the amount of uncounted ballots continues to decrease, Mr. Altschuler is rapidly running out of avenues to make up the difference. At this point, Randy Altschuler’s only path to victory is paved by disenfranchising several hundred citizens.”

Altschuler is holding 1,146 of the remaining challenged ballots, of which 649 are residency challenges. Schneider said Bishop is willing to withdraw a significant amount of objections in exchange for an equal number of voters who have been challenged by Altschuler.

Also this morning, Schneider reports, Republicans agreed to view, but not officially count 162 valid ballots which were not scanned on election night.

Those ballots showed a net gain of 12 votes for Bishop, which the congressman’s team will ask Mayer to add to the final tally.

An additional nine votes found in emergency ballot sleeves by the Board of Elections were also counted this morning, Bishop and Altschuler each received four votes with one under vote.

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