Several New Bern candidates celebrate Tuesday night lead but races are far from over
Several New Bern candidates lead with slim margins after Tuesday night's election, but the Craven County Board of Elections says there are still provisional and mail-in ballots to be counted.
Election results are unofficial until the canvass is completed at 11 a.m. May 27, but before that, mail-in and provisional ballots will be counted and added to Tuesday's total vote count.
Meloni Wray, the county Board of Elections director, said there are 154 absentee ballots that have not been returned. Out of those, 77 are for New Bern races. As for provisional ballots, the board has around 70 but a breakdown of those ballots was not available Wednesday.
For the absentee ballots to count, they must be postmarked on or by May 17 and received by 5 p.m May 20.
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More: Leading by one vote: Summers holds slim lead as results remain unofficial
More: New Bern Aldermen: Bengel leads in Ward 1, Reddick takes down Harris, Brinson wins
After Tuesday night's vote tally, former New Bern police chief Toussaint Summers held a one-vote lead in the race for mayor over Ward 6 Alderman Jeffrey Odham; Ward 1 Alderman Sabrina Bengel held a 38-vote lead over Rick Prill; and Ward 2 candidate Jennell Reddick led candidate Hazel Royal by 27 votes.
Alderwoman Jameesha Harris came in third place in the Ward 2 race.
Because none of the three leading candidates received 50% of the total vote in each race, the candidate who came in second place can request a runoff election once the results become official following the canvass.
The candidate has until June 2 to request a runoff election which will be held on July 26, according to the Board of Elections.
With three of the city races coming down to a matter of votes, it is likely that no matter the official results on May 27, the second-place candidate will request a runoff.
There is also the option of a candidate requesting a recount which would have to be requested in writing and received by the county board of elections by 5 p.m. on the first business day after the canvass.
Under North Carolina law, a candidate has the right to demand a recount if the difference between the votes for that candidate and the votes for a prevailing candidate is not more than 1% of the total votes cast on the ballot.
Currently in second place before the results are official, Odham explained he has not made a decision about requesting a runoff because it may not be his decision to make. "The results remain unofficial and there are outstanding ballots still to be counted," he added.
Prill, who is currently in second in the Ward 1 alderman race, said he will request a runoff if the results hold after the canvass.
"My commitment to the Ward 1 residents was to give them a choice and even though I came up a little short in the first round, I still had a strong showing," said Prill. "Over 700 votes in Ward 1 voted for change and to support that choice. I will be requesting a runoff."
Royal could not be reached for comment.
Reporter Trevor Dunnell can be reached by email at tdunnell@newbernsj.com. Please consider supporting local journalism by signing up for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: Several New Bern elections remain up in air, likely heading to runoffs
