WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — A showdown between incumbent Warner Robins City Councilman Charlie Bibb and realtor and veteran Ellis Carter ended this evening in a practical tie. It was an at-large race, meaning all eligible voters in Warner Robins could take part.
Bibb received 1,921 votes and Carter received 1,918 — only three votes between the candidates. But despite coming out with the most votes on Tuesday night, it is not yet smooth sailing to re-election for Bibb.
"No celebration. Nobody was jumping around," Bibb told 13WMAZ in an interview Tuesday night. "It was just real calm here."
In fact, a winner in the race still cannot be determined, because there are four votes in Houston County that have not been counted yet.
Those four outstanding ballots are provisional ballots, which are ballots issued when a voter shows up to the polling place but there is an issue that cannot be resolved at the polling place.
Oftentimes, it is an issue like showing up to the wrong polling place or if there are questions about a voter's registration status.
Instead of turning the voter away and disenfranchising them, polling places offer those voters provisional ballots, or the opportunity to cast a ballot that will only be counted after verifying the voters' eligibility to vote.
We don't know if there are even three provisional ballots in the Warner Robins council race since there are four across the county. But even if there are not enough votes to flip the race, there is another thing that can prolong the process: a possible recount.
13WMAZ spoke to Carter earlier this evening who expressed his shock over the razor-thin margin in the race.
Under Georgia law, any second-place candidate who loses by under 0.5% can call for a recount. In the city council race, Bibb won by .0007% and Carter is within his legal ability to order a recount.
A candidate can only call for a recount once the election results are officially certified, which would include any provisional ballots that were made by eligible voters. That is likely to be in by Friday.
A candidate would have to ask for a recount, which Carter told 13WMAZ he plans to do when the vote tally is officially certified. He says he wants to make sure every voter is heard and all provisional ballots counted.
"There are still outstanding provisional ballots and I want those voters to have a chance to cure their ballots. I want to make sure every vote is counted," Carter said. "I'll be seeking a recount."
Bibb told us in an interview that he hopes he pulls it off. But at the end of the day, it was a good campaign — on both sides.
"I'm excited to continue if this continues to be certified and okayed that I win the next four years to continue to be a part of that team that moves my city forward," Bibb said. "I'm very humbled by that and I look forward to that, and I hope that's the outcome. If not, I wish Mr. Carter the best, he ran a close campaign. It was a tight race, and I still want what's best for the city of Warner Robins."
Because of the razor-thin margins in Tuesday's race, voters in Warner Robins will go to bed tonight with no certainty on who will claim the city's at-large post on the city council.
For other Houston County races, you can read our recap of all Houston County elections here.