With a one-vote lead, Salem council race may not be decided until November
An incredibly tight race in Ward 4 could mean the two candidates face off again in the November election, a rare occurrence for Salem City Council elections.
Most races are decided in the May primaries. Ward 2, Ward 6, Ward 8 and the mayor's race all appear to have clear winners. But according to Marion County election results released Wednesday, Deanna Gwyn has a one-vote lead over Dynee Medlock.
As it stands, neither candidate has received the 50% plus 1 needed to win the race outright. This means the two candidates could face off again in November.
But addressing outstanding signature issues on 74 ballots from Ward 4 could clarify the outcome, Marion County Clerk Bill Burgess said.
All Marion County voters with signature issues have been sent letters. Some have already responded and had their votes counted. The remaining 796 voters in Marion County with signature issues have until June 7 to resolve the issues.
Once all valid votes are counted, if the margin is within .2%, the Marion County Clerk will conduct an "automatic" hand recount of each ballot cast in the affected race, Burgess said.
Medlock said she was grateful for the support of more than 2,500 residents in Ward 4.
"It’s races like this one that remind us how important each and every vote is in an election," Medlock said.
Other Salem council race outcomes
This was the first election following a new state law that allows all ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted. In prior elections, ballots had to have reached county election centers by Election Day to be counted.
"This election, we received about 3,809 ballots after Election Day that met 'postmark by Election Day' and received by seven days after Election Day deadline to be counted," Burgess said. "In the past, it was common to receive about 250 ballots postmarked by Election Day and received later that we were not able to count."
Burgess said the 15-fold increase in ballots postmarked by Election Day indicates a major change in voter behavior.
The surge in ballots received after Election Day has led to many races being drawn out with no clear winner for several days.
Chane Griggs conceded in the mayor's race on May 19 after Chris Hoy held a lead in the returns for two days.
Other races have been more clear.
With no challenger, Linda Nishioka won in Ward 2.
In Ward 6, Julie Hoy has a significant lead over Stacey Vieyra-Braendle. Burgess said there are only 44 signature issues in Ward 6 — not enough to overcome the lead Hoy has.
In Ward 8, Micki Varney, who was appointed to the council after a resignation earlier this year, has a lead over Chris Cummings.
Salem will officially declare the winners after the Marion County Clerk's Office certifies the results to them on June 13.
Problems continue in Clackamas County
Counting remains underway in Clackamas County after a series of issues with the ballots.
The snafus have caused uncertainty over some elections, including a much-watched race in the 5th Congressional District.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner is currently leading in the primary over moderate incumbent Rep. Kurt Schrader. Schrader has said he will not concede the race while ballots in Clackamas County continue to be counted.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Gwyn has a one-vote lead over Medlock in Salem council race
