By KATIE MCDOWELL/Lifestyles Editor

The Place 3 race for Chelsea City Council has resulted in a tie after the provisional ballots were counted on Sept. 4.

Incumbent Robert Barnes and challenger David Ingram each received a total of 746 votes. The candidates will face off again in a runoff election on Tuesday, Oct. 9.

City Clerk Becky Landers said 26 provisional ballots were cast in the election, but only 22 of those qualified. Provisional ballots are used when the voter’s eligibility is in question.

“If their name is not on the voters list, but we think they’re in city limits, we let them vote provisionally,” Landers said.

Voters who have had a change of address within city limits are also allowed to vote provisionally. The provisional voters’ addresses were verified, the votes were added to the final tally on Tuesday.

Two other districts, Places 2 and 4, will be decided in the Oct. 9 runoff.

In Place 2, provisional ballots also resulted in a tie. Incumbent Tony Picklesimer and challenger Scott Weygand both received 696 to secure spots in a runoff election this fall.

In Place 4, Alison Moore Nichols and incumbent Mike Denton will also face off in a runoff. Nichols received 679 votes and Denton received 438 after the provisional ballots were counted.

In other races, the official results, including provisional ballots, were:

• Mayoral incumbent Earl Niven defeated Kirk Pownall, 828 to 754.
• In place 1, incumbent Dale Neuendorf defeated Brian Horton, 819 to 647.
• In place 5, incumbent Juanita Champion won with 838 votes. Challengers Scott Weldon and Kurt Long received 529 and 150 votes, repectively.