Incumbent Wayne Wilt appears headed for a fifth term on the Cowley County Commission after narrowly defeating challenger Austin Graves by just 14 votes in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Wilt, 84, of Winfield, received 626 votes, compared with 612 for Graves, of Ark City, while Winfield’s Michael Rozell finished with 248 votes in the three-way race for the District 1 seat.
The race was the only contested local election on the Cowley County ballot.
Graves, via a Facebook video, offered thanks to all of his supporters Wednesday morning. He said some mail in votes and other outstanding ballots will need to be reviewed and possibly counted.
“We’ll see what happens,” Graves said in the video.
Uncounted ballots Wednesday included 38 that were submitted via drop box, 10 hand-counted, ballots and 78 provisional ballots that must be reviewed and verified before being submitted to canvassers for consideration. Cowley County chief election official Karen Madison said not all uncounted ballots will impact the district 1 commission race. Continue below ad.
Because no Democratic candidate filed for the District 1 seat, the Republican primary effectively determined who will represent the district on the Cowley County Commission following the November general election.
Wilt received 42.1 percent of the vote. Graves finished with 41.2 percent, while Rozell received 16.7 percent.
Unofficial results showed just 14 votes separating Wilt and Graves after 1,486 ballots were cast in the race. Turnout was about 28 percent.
The results remain unofficial until the Cowley County Board of Canvassers completes its canvass and certifies the election results.
If certified, Wilt will begin his new term on the Cowley County Commission in January.
