One vote separates the candidates vying to win the Ward 5 city council seat.
As of Tuesday evening, Stephen Jones led Marthalie Porter with 442 votes to 441. Neither candidate drew more than 50 percent of the vote. Jones got about 49.9 percent and Porter got slightly less than 49.8 percent.
Three write-in votes were cast in Tuesday’s election.
Officials will review 20 affidavit ballots Wednesday morning. Jones and Porter declined comment until the vote tally is finalized.
Jones and Porter are competing to follow former councilman Kabir Karriem. Karriem stepped down at the end of the year to begin his term in the Mississippi House of Representatives.
Porter carried the Mississippi University for Women Carrier Lodge precinct, with 198 votes to Jones’ 26. Jones carried both voting boxes at Union School, outgaining Porter 222 to 105 votes in one and 194 to 138 votes in the second.
In all, 886 of Ward 5’s 3,175 voters had their ballots counted Tuesday. Eight-hundred fifty-six voters participated in the 4-person election on Feb. 16.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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