WEST POINT — Only one of West Point’s four Democratic primary races had been settled Tuesday evening due to a discrepancy in the absentee vote tallies.

A computer readout of 594 absentee votes did not match the number of paper ballots counted, leaving election officials tediously looking to resolve the issue heading into midnight today.

With enough absentee votes in each ward to alter the outcome, the winner in the mayoral primary and selectmen races in Wards 1 and Ward 5 had yet to be determined.

Only in Ward 3, where incumbent Ken Poole held a 122-vote lead over challenger Jonas Robinson with 112 absentee votes outstanding, did the outcome appear clear, although Democratic Party coordinator Jeanatta Edwards said an unknown number of affidavit ballots remained to be counted in that race as well.

In the mayor’s Democratic primary, Rod Bobo led with 1,343 votes, followed by Cole Bryan with 1,174 and Tammy Parkerson with 59. The primary winner will face independent Homer Ryland Jr. and Constitution Party candidate Jennifer Harper in the June 8 general election.

In the Ward 1 selectman race, incumbent Leta Turner led Linda Hannah, 252-195 with 94 absentee ballots to be counted. In Ward 5, incumbent Jasper Pittman led Colby Pennington, 262-185 with 124 absentee votes outstanding.

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].