Richmond County certifies March 10 special election; runoff set between Sheila Clark Nelson and Thomas McAdams

The Richmond County Board of Elections certified the results of the March 10 special election during its meeting, confirming that no candidate received a majority and that a runoff will be held on April 7.

Director Doss read the official totals into the record: 1,237 ballots cast on election day, 433 advanced votes, and 29 absentee-by-mail ballots, for a total of 1,699 ballots cast, or about a 4.43% turnout among the 38,385 eligible registered voters in the election area. "We had 1,699 people vote for a 4.43% turnout," Director Doss said when presenting the recap and results.

Why it matters: certification finalizes the official vote totals and triggers any required runoffs and statutory deadlines. The board’s certification starts post-election timelines for runoff scheduling, risk-limiting audits and any follow-up reporting required by state rule.

Details of the count: Director Doss read candidate totals aloud. The leading totals reported were: Sheila Clark Nelson with 567 votes (33.49%) and Thomas McAdams with 340 votes (20.08%). Because the leading candidate fell short of a majority, state rules require a runoff between Nelson and McAdams; the board placed that runoff on the calendar for April 7. Doss also told the board there were two write-in votes and explained minor differences between ballots cast and votes tallied where undervotes occurred.

Operational recap: the director told the board the election used 12 polling locations, 74 poll workers (approximate cost $15,600), two advanced voting sites (11 poll workers, ~$23,000 for the three-week period), 57 voting machines on election day and 18 machines for advanced voting. Doss estimated the special election cost roughly $58,000–$59,000 and projected the runoff would cost in the lower $30,000s because advanced voting was scheduled for only four days.

Issues noted: Doss reported a short power outage at one polling site that lasted about 30 minutes but did not interrupt voting because backup batteries and power sources were available. He also said construction and road closures in downtown affected advanced voting traffic and that some voters showed up at nonparticipating polling places in this non-countywide contest, creating confusion despite outreach efforts.

Board action and next steps: A board member moved that the board certify the results as read into the record; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The chair then circulated the official certification document for signatures. The board also scheduled pre-certification and certification sessions to meet statutory deadlines: a pres-certification meeting on April 10 at 10:00 a.m. and the certification meeting immediately following the regular monthly meeting on April 13 at 11:05 a.m.

The runoff between Sheila Clark Nelson and Thomas McAdams is scheduled for April 7, and the board said it will announce advanced-voting hours and locations for that contest in accordance with the published calendar.