SUFFOLK, Va. — In a room inside the Suffolk Registrar’s Office, workers were busy Wednesday with the process of certifying votes for the 2024 election.
Of note is the city’s mayoral race, which as of Wednesday looked like it could come down to just a few votes. But as votes were coming in, it wasn’t the only local race shaping up to be very close.
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"We started the day with a provisional ballot canvas," Suffolk Electoral Board Chairman James Oaks said.
He anticipated the ballots would be processed in about a week.
"We go through and verify today that they're an acceptable person to vote. their ballot is accepted and then it is placed into a ballot envelope where, next week, we'll combine it with the same-day registration and we'll process the votes, probably, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week," Oaks explained.
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Mayoral candidate Clint Jenkins was at the registrar’s office Wednesday.
“I feel good. I’m positive. I’m excited about the process," Jenkins said about the work underway at the registrar's office.
He wasn’t sure if he would request a recount given, at the time, he was only trailing current mayor Mike Duman by 68 votes.
“Let’s see how the process goes and then I’ll make a decision," said Jenkins.
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At his watch party Tuesday night, Duman said he was
"cautiously optimistic" he would still be the winner once votes are certified.
"I wasn’t nervous," Duman said Tuesday night when asked how he felt as he watched election results come in. "I’ve kind of been telling folks I kind of knew which way this election was gong to go.”
News 3 reached out to him Wednesday. He said he felt like the race could go either way with the votes being as close as they were.
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He said he likely would not request a recount if he’s not the winner when all votes are certified unless there’s a difference of just a few votes.
Whaleyville Borough school board candidate Thelma Hinton was also at the registrar’s office Wednesday.
Like Jenkins, she was also behind in her race by less than 100 votes.
“Yes, I do," Hinton replied when asked if she'll ask for a recount.
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She’s surprised by how close the race is, especially since she’s been on the school board once before several years ago.
“Even though, when you’re dealing with a three-man race, these things can happen I am the only female who is running. But also, I just believe I’m going to come out on top," said Hinton.
News 3 also spoke with challenger Sean McGee Wednesday. As of Wednesday afternoon, according to the State Board of Elections website he was ahead of Hinton by 51 votes.
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McGee said he hadn't decided if he would ask for a recount if necessary. He was feeling confident, though, with his lead and believes the race and number of votes he got, especially from early voters, shows his message is resonating with people.
Oaks said the races being so close doesn’t create any more pressure when certifying votes.
“There’s always the pressure to get it right. The last thing we want to do is make a mistake or, no offense to you guys, but last place we want to be is in front of a camera for any reason. But we always want to make sure we get it right, so we check and double check everything as we go through it," said Oaks.
He expected the provisional ballots, which were being checked Wednesday, to be processed along with same day registrations Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
The registrar’s office has until noon on November 15 to get votes certified.
