And the votes are in…

And the votes are in…

Write-in candidates win the day at the polls

Charles City may have seen a low turnout during Tuesday’s municipal elections, but voters showed up in close competition in other parts of Floyd County with a council position tie in the city of Floyd and one write-in candidate overturning an incumbent in Marble Rock.

Cleone King and Merlin Holtz topped votes for two of three open positions in Floyd, but David Paulus and Jerry Peters faced a tie, each earning 33 of the total 229 votes cast.

One missing absentee ballot may resolve the difference, said Floyd County Auditor Gloria Carr. To still qualify for a vote, the ballot must be postmarked by Monday and arrive in the courthouse mail by Nov. 9. Trevis O’Connell ran unchallenged for Floyd mayor, losing only one vote out of 69 to a write-in ballot.

The Charles City council elections saw low turnout throughout the day at each of the three polling locations, precinct election officials said, only drawing ballots from 2.14 percent of the registered voting population.

Incumbents Michael Hammond, Dan Mallaro and Keith Starr were each voted back into council chambers, with only nine opposing write-in votes submitted.

Marble Rock city council incumbent Steven Wells was voted out of the chambers with only 19 percent of the votes while write-in candidate Chad Schriever enjoyed support from 38 percent of voters. John Marzen received the majority support for city council, and Jerry Engelhardt ran unchallenged for mayor.

Although no candidates officially campaigned for election, Colwell submitted enough ballots –– 11 out of 40 registered voters –– to elect Jeff Wright as mayor and fill the five available council member positions with write-in votes. Nora Springs voters reinstated incumbent George Andersen as mayor through write-in votes, giving Anderson a 17 percent lead against registered candidate Candace Smith; voters cast Larry Cross, Duane O’Banion and Brian Pederson into the city council.

FULL RESULTS (PERCENTAGE OF REGISTERED VOTERS):

CHARLES CITY

City Council: Michael Hammond, 32 percent Dan Mallaro, 30.9 percent Keith Starr, 33.8 percent

By Kate Hayden khayden@charlescitypress.com