Several close election races decided

HATTON – It took three weeks for the declared candidates in the town of Hatton to win their seats, but certified Nov. 7 general election results show they pulled it out – barely.

In all of the town’s races, declared candidates with their names on the ballots edged undeclared write-in insurgents by a single vote.

Rhea Isaac won the mayoral race with 15 votes; a write-in candidate received 14 votes.

By the same margin, Barbara Pence won the Council Position No. 2 seat, Eric Rawson the Council Position No. 4 seat and Linda Anderson the Council Position No. 5 seat.

Two years ago, write-in candidates swept the candidates whose names appeared on the ballots; Isaac was one of those write-ins to win a seat on the Town Council in 2021. Isaac was a declared write-in candidate at that time.

But in this year’s election, none of the write-in candidates were declared. So, even if they had a majority of the votes, they were not eligible to win under state law.

The Hatton races were not the only close contests.

In the race for Othello School District Director No. 1, Aaron Gerber edged Kelli E. Camp by 7 votes. Gerber received 580 votes, or 50.13%; Camp had 573, or 49.52%.

In the Othello City Council Position No. 4 race, Darryl Barnes won by just 4 votes. Barnes had 313 votes, or 50.16%. Eugene Bain had 309 votes, or 49.52%.

In nearby Kahlotus, results look as though one write-in candidate may have won a seat on the City Council, provided they were a declared candidate.

The Franklin County Elections Office results show a write-in candidate had 17 votes, or 56.67%, in the City Council Position No. 6 At-Large seat. Declared candidate Shirley L. Ayers only had 13 votes, or 43.33%

The write-in candidates’ names have yet to be released.