After an all-day recount of ballots to determine the winner of the Perry County Commission District 1 seat at the Perry County Courthouse, the result ended in a tie.
The recount of the primary election ballots that was ordered by the Alabama Democratic Party Executive Committee in June came out to 398 votes for each candidate – incumbent Albert Turner Jr. and challenger Donald Bennett.
Probate Judge and Perry County Democratic Party Chairman Carlton Hogue said the local Democratic Party Chairman – which is him – will break the tie. He also plans to consult attorneys about the next step.
“We don’t want to take anything from any candidate,” he said. “So we got the recount and it was 398 to 398. Then we go onto the next step, which the law says the local chairman breaks the tie.”
Turner said the recount was “much needed” due to his claims of “questionable activity” in the election. But he said the tie breaker will be up to the state who the nominee will be.
Immediately after the tie was announced, Bennett said he is confident in the process and that it will be followed through.
The ballot numbers have vacillated since the May 19 primary, with the initial count on election night giving Bennett the win with 395 votes compared to Turner’s 387. The May 26 count with provisionals increased both candidate’s results to 398 and 397, with Turner just one vote away from Bennett. That prompted Turner to ask the state Democratic Party, which oversees primaries, for a recount that took place Thursday.
The recount gave Turner one more vote, which placed it at a tie, 398-398.
The recount included one major challenge when election officials discovered that 30 ballots from the armory voting precinct were missing. After several hours of searching, the ballots were found in a mislabeled box that said “unused ballots” that Sheriff Roy Fikes did not pick up for the recount because it wasn’t labeled properly. Hogue said the ballots were sealed in the mislabeled box and were included in the recount.
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