TWO OF THREE BURTON CITY COUNCIL RACES TIE; CHALLENGER WINS THIRD
Unofficial results for the Burton City Council election as of Saturday have two of the three races ending in a tie.
According to figures from the Washington County Elections Office, for Councilmember Position #2, incumbent Tommie Gilmon and challenger Sheila Ripple both tallied 66 votes. The race for Councilmember Position #5 saw incumbent Macey Tidwell and challenger Berneake Gantt each receive 65 votes.
Washington County Elections Administrator Carol Jackson said this is the first time she has ever seen an occurrence like this. She said she will need to do more research to determine what options are available and ensure all parties agree to whichever path forward is chosen, but she expects the next steps will be revealed soon.
As for Councilmember Position #3, there will be a new face, as newcomer Charly Ruemke defeated incumbent Jeff Eckhardt 73 - 55.
A total of 137 ballots were cast during the election, consisting of 80 from early voting, 55 on Election Day and two absentee. That total includes eight votes in the Giddings ISD trustee election. There are 272 registered voters in the City of Burton and 156 in the Washington County voting precinct that falls under Giddings ISD, adding up to 428 registered voters and – with the 137 ballots – resulting in a combined voter turnout of 32.01 percent.