Due to circumstances beyond its control, the Democratic Executive Committee was unable to certify the Oct. 10 municipal election as planned on Tuesday.
However, the two voter ID affidavit ballots locked away at City Hall will not be enough to sway last week’s results, so the city is moving forward with preparations for an Oct. 31 runoff between mayoral candidates Steve Rosenthal and Vivian Jenkins.
According to the Democratic Executive Committee Chairman David Rushing, the group agreed on Tuesday night to go ahead with the printing of absentee ballots, and barring any further unforeseen circumstances, absentee voting will begin tomorrow at City Hall.
The committee was set to count ballots on Tuesday night, but the lone person with the combination to the ballot box was forced to leave the count due to a medical emergency.
Rosenthal ended last week’s vote with 49.4 percent of the vote, needing 50 percent, plus one vote to win outright.
Jenkins held just under 40 percent of the vote.
The two remaining votes, mathematically, were not going to sway the election to an outright win for either candidate.
Here are a few things voters need to know about the runoff
- The runoff will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at the normal polling places.
- Eligible voters who did not vote on Oct. 10 can still vote in the primary runoff.
- Voters who voted affidavit on Oct. 10 must do so again on Oct. 31. Absentee voters from Oct. 10 can vote at the polls on the night of the runoff.
- The winner on Oct. 31 will faceoff against Independent candidate Jimmie Smith during the Dec. 12 general election.
CORRECTION; This story has been corrected from its origninal verision which stated absentee voters from Oct. 10 must vote absentee on Oct. 31. This is not correct. Absentee voters from Oct. 10 may vote at the polls on Oct. 31. We apologize for the error.
