The recount in the race for Nassau's 18th Legislative District will continue past Thanksgiving, election officials announced Wednesday. A judge is expected to hear cases of challenged ballots on Tuesday.

Democratic Councilwoman Delia DeRiggi-Whitton has a 29-point lead over Republican opponent, Robert Germino, acording to the Long Island Press. There are 148 challenged votes heading to court.

When polls closed on Election Day, Germino was up 37 votes. However, after the first round of counting absentee and affidavit (write-in) ballots, unofficial returns showed DeRiggi-Whitton ahead, according to the Press.

The race to represent the 18th District ended too close to call on election night, prompting a count of the absentee votes and a subsequent recount of all non-scanned ballots.

Democratic commissioner William Biamonte told Patch.com four tables were set up in a designated "Canvas Room" at the Board of Elections on Monday, two for District 18 and two for District 14, another race that had come down to absentee ballots.

"The representatives of the two parties and two campaigns are allowed to have attorneys or any other representative at the table examining the ballots," said Biamonte.

The Board of Elections checks if the application for the ballot and the voter's signature on the registration card match, and then the campaign representatives are allowed to make objections or let it go through.

Since Election Day, the Board of Elections called back all voting machines and suitcases, and inventoried all absentee and affidavit ballots by legislative district.

"The outcome can determine who controls how several billion dollars will be spent, how several hundred million will be cut and how the legislative map will be drawn that can have more of an impact on who controls things for the next 10 years," said Political analyst Larry Levy, Executive Dean for the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University.

Levy told Patch.com recounts in close elections are not uncommon, but there is more at stake than usual in the 14th and 18th Legislative District races.

"These are exciting times for legislative politics in Nassau, and it could have a real impact on politics for years and years to come," Levy said.

Board of Election officials were unable to be reached for comment on the Glen Cove mayoral and City Council races.

Stay tuned to Patch for ongoing coverage of the 2011 election results.