Most of the participants in the special district election learned their fate late Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. But Tom Bennett and Randy Miles may have to nibble their nails for another week before they find out who was elected to serve on the Coos Bay School Board.

Rather than file for the position, both men waged write-in campaigns for Position No. 7 on the board, the seat Bennett currently occupies. A total of 838 write-in votes were received by election night, and officials fell to counting each one by hand on Thursday.

But by the time they finished, there was a problem.

“The race is too tight to call,” said County Clerk Terri Turi on Thursday.

She explained that the two contestants are separated by fewer than 17 votes. And as it so happens, there are 17 ballots from within the Coos Bay School District boundaries that have not been opened because the signatures on the back of the ballot envelopes do not match what the county has on file.

“When the signatures don't match, we are required to contact those voters and ask them to verify if they in fact submitted their ballot,” Turi said. “By law, they have 10 days to respond from the time we send out the notice.”

She explained that notices would have been sent out within a day of the county receiving the ballots. But if someone submitted a ballot on Election Day, the voter would not have to respond until May 25.

“Some will probably be received in two days, some in eight days and some will take the full 10 days,” Turi said. “If they do not respond to the letter, then the ballots will be rejected.”

For now, the ballots that could sway the election have yet to be opened and are in Turi's care.

“We don't even know if they selected someone for the position,” she said. “We will just need to wait and see.”

Turi said she will not announce who is leading or what his lead is until a clear winner has been established.

Dead heat

Bennett and Miles are not the only write-in candidates who have to wait. Robert Mahaffy, Steven Afh and Eric Dolan are in a dead heat for Position No. 4 on the Millicoma River Park & Recreation District with four votes apiece. Turi said there is one outstanding ballot that could determine the race.

“I really hope that ballot produces a winner, because, if not, they will have to draw straws,” Turi said.

- Alexander Rich, staff writer