The results of Tuesday’s Chester City Council election could change. Here’s why.
The results of Tuesday’s Chester City Council race could change depending on Thursday’s election certification.
At the certification hearing, the Chester County Election Commission will hear several challenges. Tuesday’s vote totals all are unofficial until they’ve been certified by the commission.
Candidate Ken Lebbon has challenged 16 absentee ballots, Chester Elections Supervisor Karen Roach said.
Lebbon challenged the ballots because he does not believe the voters live in the city of Chester, he said. To participate in the city council election, voters must live within the city limits.
Lebbon, who ran for the Ward 3 seat, lost by 179 votes, so his candidacy will not be effected if the votes are thrown out. However, he says he is raising concerns because of the Ward 4 contest between Harvey Bernard Heath and Robbie Boyd-King, where Boyd-King won by just 5 votes. If these votes are thrown out, he says, the results may change.
Heath agrees that these ballots should be verified.
“I just want to know that I’m getting a fair and honest election. If there’s anything that’s not right about it, then we need to get it right,” he told The Herald.
If votes are thrown out, it also could change the results of the Ward 1 election, where Tabatha M. Strother beat opponent Susan Kovas by 4 votes.
Challenges against Ward 2 candidate Dana Peay, who ran unopposed, will also be heard. Ward 4 Councilwomen-elect King-Boyd has raised concerns to the election commission because Peay did not have a South Carolina driver’s license when she voted Tuesday, Peay told The Herald.
Peay says she recently moved from North Carolina and has misplaced her South Carolina license. Her North Carolina license was the only photo ID she had Thursday, but she plans to show a South Carolina license as well as proof of Chester residency at Thursday’s hearing.
“I’m a fighter, I’m not going to let (King-Boyd) take it away from me,” she said.
King-Boyd was not available for comment Wednesday afternoon.
The election commission also will recount the results of the Ward 1 and Ward 4 elections, Roach said.
After the completion of the hearing, the official results of the election will be certified.
The certification hearing will take place at 11 a.m. at 109 Ella Street in Chester. It is open to the public.
Here are Tuesday’s unofficial results, which will be certified Thursday morning.
Ward 1
In Ward 1, two seats were open. One “unexpired” seat was left empty when William “Budda” Killian, who was elected to the Chester County council in November.
Killian’s unexpired seat was won by Wade A. Young. Young received 45.4% of the vote, Kim T. Chisholm received 41.7% of the vote, and Jeff Fowler received 12.9% of the vote.
The other seat will be filled by Tabatha M. Strother, ousting incumbent Susan Kovas. Kovas received 49.6% of the vote; Strother received 50.4% of the vote.
Ward 2
Dana Peay, a newcomer to the council, ran for the Ward 2 seat unopposed.
She will serve alongside Councilwoman TaTanish Campbell, whose term ends in May 2023.
Ward 3
In Ward 3, Danielle Hughes won the election with 67.7% of the vote. Her opponent Ken Lebbon received 32.3% of the vote.
Councilwoman Annie Reid will continue to serve Ward 3 through May 2023.
Ward 4
Robbie King-Boyd will return to her Ward 4 seat, which she won in a special election in October. King-Boyd received 50.5% of the vote, while Harvey Bernard Heath won 49.5%.
Councilwoman Carlos William will continue to serve Ward 4 through May 2023.
This story was originally published May 5, 2021 at 1:55 PM.
