School race ends in tie vote

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Repeated efforts to recount votes in the one contested race in the Mountain Home School Board election Wednesday morning brought the same results from Tuesday evening–a tie vote.

The race was too close to officially call Tuesday evening. According to an election committee spokesperson the votes had been recounted several times when the decision was made to reconvene at 10:00 Wednesday morning and resume counting the ballots.

Election Commission Vice Chair Bob Bodenhamer says after repeated counting of the paper ballots, the result was 148 ballots each for challenger Daniel Smakal and incumbent Ben Strider.

Bodenhamer says 300 ballots were cast in the election, with four under votes, meaning although the ballots were cast, a selection was not made for either of the two candidates.

Baxter County and Circuit Clerk Canda Reese says 23,292 are registered to vote in the Mountain Home School District.

Bodenhamer, an Election Commissioner veteran member of 25 years, says he can recall only one previous tie vote several years ago for a Big Flat City Council position involving a small number of ballots.

With the tie vote outcome of Tuesday’s election, voters in the Mountain Home School District will be asked to return to the polls in three weeks on October 10.

Reese says all registered voters in the Mountain Home School District are eligible to cast a ballot in the runoff election.

Early voting will begin in the basement of the Baxter County Courthouse on Tuesday, October 3 during regular business hours from 8:00 until 4:30.

Hours for voting on October 10 will be from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Four polling sites will remain unchanged for the runoff election in the Mountain Home School District.

East Side Baptist Church will serve as the site for those who normally vote there, as well as the Baxter County Fairgrounds, the Buford Community Center and the L.C. Sammons Youth Center.

The Midway Fire Station will serve as the combined site for those who normally vote there, as well as the Lakeview Civic Center, Three Brothers Community Church and Marion County voters in the Mountain Home School District.

Northeast Lakeside Fire Station will combine those voters with Gamaliel and Henderson Fire Station voters.

St. Andrews Episcopal Church will combine those voters with Clarkridge Fire Station and College and North Church of Christ voters.

Those with questions about their polling location may call the Baxter County and Circuit Clerk’s office at 870-425-3475.

In other Mountain Home election news, Lisa House was unopposed for position one and retains the seat.

At Cotter, Brandon Harber had 58 votes, challenging incumbent Jimmy Morgan who took in 121 votes for the win of the position three seat.

In Norfork Chad McGowan ran unopposed and retains his seat for Position four.

There were no races in Marion County in the school election.

Also on the ballot as required by state law were millage rates, of which there were no changes from the previous year. Mountain Home retains a total tax levy of 25.29 mills for the maintenance and operation of schools. Cotter stays at 25 mills and Norfork remains at 27.

For the school bond millage, the rate for the retirement of existing bonded indebtedness, Mountain Home remains at 6.87 mills, Cotter remains at 7.67 mills and Norfork remains at 7.39.

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