MOUNT VERNON, Ind. ? Election officials in southern Indiana?s Posey County were looking for one voter to decide the outcome of the tied county clerk?s race.
Republican Donna "Mouse" Curtis and Democrat Donna Butler each received 4,896 votes in the Nov. 7 election. A single provisional ballot remains to be counted, if the person who cast it presents identification by Friday so it can be authenticated.
Election board members thought they had the deciding vote Monday when they opened an absentee ballot cast by a military service member.
?We thought, ?Well we?ve got the deciding vote right here,? but he did not vote for either candidate,? election board member Ron Bennett said. ?He voted for some of the other races but not this one.?
Two other absentee ballots from overseas have not yet been received, and must be postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted. That leaves the provisional ballot in hand as the potential deciding vote in the county along the Ohio River just west of Evansville.
The voter has been notified by telephone message and letter, but there has been no response.
?There is still time to come in and make this vote count,? Bennett said.
If the outcome isn?t decided by the vote, the race would go to the county council to break the tie.
Republican Donna "Mouse" Curtis and Democrat Donna Butler each received 4,896 votes in the Nov. 7 election. A single provisional ballot remains to be counted, if the person who cast it presents identification by Friday so it can be authenticated.
Election board members thought they had the deciding vote Monday when they opened an absentee ballot cast by a military service member.
?We thought, ?Well we?ve got the deciding vote right here,? but he did not vote for either candidate,? election board member Ron Bennett said. ?He voted for some of the other races but not this one.?
Two other absentee ballots from overseas have not yet been received, and must be postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted. That leaves the provisional ballot in hand as the potential deciding vote in the county along the Ohio River just west of Evansville.
The voter has been notified by telephone message and letter, but there has been no response.
?There is still time to come in and make this vote count,? Bennett said.
If the outcome isn?t decided by the vote, the race would go to the county council to break the tie.
