Rep. Bill Owens' campaign has requested that a court "impound" ballots tonight, meaning they'll be kept under lock and key until Boards of Elections are ready to count them for the official tally.

Mr. Owens faces Republican Matt Doheny tomorrow. The move is a sign that the election could be close enough to depend on the "official" results, not just the unofficial results from election night.

"We've done this before, and it's a fairly standard thing to do," Owens campaign manager James Hannaway said. "It just ensures that there's a standard treatment across counties for ballots after the polls close."

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