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Candidate leads by 1,000 but absentee votes yet to be counted

ISLE OF WIGHT

Kathy Torrence is leading challenger Jaime Mumford in the Nov. 3 special election with 5,032 votes to Mumford’s 4,028, according to unofficial results from the county’s voter registrar.

But that’s only counting in-person votes. The registrar’s office is still waiting on the results from 3,607 county residents who voted by mail. Registrar Lisa Betterton said she hopes to have some of those results by this evening, but said her office likely wouldn’t have a complete count until later this week. Virginia law allows mail-in votes to be counted through noon this Friday so long as ballots are postmarked by Nov. 3.

Many localities are anticipating higher-than-normal early ballot counts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Windsor Town Councilmen James “Greg” Willis and Walter Bernacki appear safe in keeping their seats for the next four years, the former having received 349 in-person votes and the latter, 300. Joining them will be Jake Redd, who received 346 in-person votes. Of the 1,872 total in-person votes cast in the Town Council election there were 23 write-ins.

Torrence declined to comment Tuesday night, citing the pending absentee votes that have yet to be counted. The paper contacted Mumford by phone and email Tuesday evening, but was unable to reach her by deadline.