HARRISBURG — A voting error that resulted in electronic ballots being thrown out has allowed a Poinsett County justice of the peace to keep his job.
Early voting results on Tuesday indicated challenger Jeff Jones led incumbent John Sadler by nine votes. But Poinsett County Clerk Fonda Condra told the county election commission on Wednesday afternoon that 53 electronic ballots for the post had to be thrown out because of the error.
The result was that Sadler won by four votes, 122 to 118.
Condra says a poll worker brought up the incorrect voting screen at a polling site in Harrisburg. She says she became aware of the error in vote totals after a deputy clerk alerted her on Wednesday morning.
She says the issue did not affect any other race on Tuesday’s ballot.