I wonder about the absentees also. I remember this being an issue in the 94 Supreme Court race. Although I think the number of votes between the two was less than 500. Here the difference is 3000 plus or minus.
The issue in 1994 was that the Absentee Ballots were never counted (at least not at first). Also there was the Truck full of Ballots that DISSAPPEARED and then REAPPEARED in the back of the lot of a company run by a big Dem Donor.
The Dems tried to get the Absentee ballots thrown out, then produce3d this truck full of UNSIGNED ballots and tried to get those counted.