Marie McCain
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Close votes in two races in Clermont County could come down to the flip of a coin, officials said Wednesday.

Final, unofficial tallies in the race for Chilo mayor have incumbent Shana Stevenson dead even with challenger George Seale. Each received 21 votes.

And, in Pierce Township, challenger Gregg Conrad was leading incumbent Trustee Bonnie Batchler by one vote, 1,242 to 1,241.

None of the candidates could be reached for comment Wednesday.

Election officials say both races are likely headed for recounts, an unusual occurrence in this county.

Board of Elections workers still have to count provisional votes, said Clermont Board of Elections director Dan Bare. In addition, a check to ensure the votes were correctly recorded is scheduled to begin Nov. 17.

Chris Abbruzzese, a spokesman for the Ohio secretary of state's office, said recounts are automatic if tallies are less than one-half of 1 percent apart. "Whoever has the most votes (following the recount) wins," Abbruzzese said. "But should the votes remain even, then the chairman of the Board of Elections will flip a coin."

E-mail mmccain@enquirer.com