Tommy McKay (R), on left, and incumbent Jack Russell (D) are only 14 votes apart. The winner won't be known until the absentee and provisional ballots have been counted.
CALIFORNIA, Md. (November 3, 2010)—The winner in the race for president of the board of commissioners in St. Mary's County may not be known until November 12 when the last absentee ballots have been counted. Incumbent Jack Russell (D) currently leads challenger Tommy McKay (R) by only 14 votes.
There were 1,633 absentee ballots mailed out in St. Mary's County, according to the local board of elections. 1,171 have been received back as of 1:00 p.m. today.
There will be two canvassings of absentee ballots. The first on Thursday and the second on the following Friday, November 12. The second counting is to allow time for military ballots to be received from other parts of the world. The law requires the boards of elections to allow adequate time for receipt of military ballots.
Provisional ballots will be counted on November 10. Voters who have changed their address of residence in between elections without notifying the board of elections are sent to their proper precinct, required to fill out a change of address form, and required to vote on a paper provisional ballot.
The counting of absentee and provisional ballots is open to the public. The events will take place at 10:00 a.m. on the days noted at the St. Mary’s County Election Board warehouse located at 47382 Lincoln Avenue in Lexington Park.
The unofficial election results to date for St. Mary's County are posted on the government's website.