By Catherine M. Welch
Wilmington, NC – Council Member Laura Padgett won her seat outright, but the other two are still up for grabs.
Incumbent Pat Delair got the most votes, but not enough to lock in the seat. She's followed by Kristi Tomey, Ronald Sparks and Susan Clarke.
New Hanover County Board Of Elections Chairman Margaret Haynes says the board is still counting votes including provisional ballots. The County Board of Elections will canvas the election Tuesday and announce the results. That's when Haynes says they'll release who qualifies for a run off. She says a runoff election would cost the city about $100,000.
How Votes Are Calculated Take the total number of votes cast, divide it by three (for the three open seats), divide that number by two, then add one.
For example:
40,377 votes were cast for city council
40,377 divided by 3 = 13,459
13,459 divided by 2 = 6730
6730 + 1 = 6731
Laura Padgett's 7,764 votes puts her in the clear.
Pat Delair 5,642 votes Kritis Tomey 5,223 votes Ronald Sparks 4,318 votes Susan Clarke 3,364 votes
All three are possibly in the running for the other two seats.