Absentee ballots cause tie in Mt. Union city council election, winner to be determined by drawing

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Henry County supervisors will determine the winner of a four-year city council term in Mt. Union, according to Henry County Auditor Shelly Barber.

The auditor received two absentee ballots Wednesday, Nov. 4. Both ballots met the deadline criteria and both votes were for candidate Randal Wiklerson. Consequently, Wilkerson and write-in candidate Kim Fenton each wound up with 20 votes for the council seat.

Mt. Union residents were to elect two council members, and Robin Buffington, also a write-in candidate, was the top vote-getter with 24 votes.

Due to the tie between Wilkerson and Fenton, supervisors will draw a name out of the hat during the official election canvass on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to determine the winner.

Supervisors also determined the winner of a county election two years ago when Dan Patterson and Linda Ward ended up in a tie for the Salem mayoral post. Patterson won the seat through the drawing.