ROANOKE, Va – Democratic Roanoke Mayoral candidate Joe Cobb extended his lead over Republican David Bowers in unofficial returns on Monday as the Roanoke City Electoral Board began the work of sorting through more than 1,200 provisional ballots cast during early voting and on Election Day.
Cobb, the current Vice-Mayor, gained 59 votes. Bowers, the former four-term mayor, gained 54 votes. Independent Candidate Stephanie Moon-Reynolds gained 52 votes.
Bowers had left after the votes were counted on Nov. 5 but Cobb took a small lead Friday after mail-in votes were counted.
The Electoral Board is meeting in closed session. Under Virginia law, only elections officials, people whose provisional votes are being considered and observers from political parties are allowed inside.
“With the help of the registrar, we go back and we verify whether that is an accurate vote: that person hasn’t voted twice; they haven’t voted; that they’re voting in the correct precinct; that they’re following all the policy for how you’re supposed to vote,” said Stephen Niamke, the board’s secretary.
Niamke told 10 News the board worked through more than 150 votes on Monday and that 12 votes were cast aside and not counted on Monday, most because people voted in the wrong precinct.
Roanoke City Republican Party Chairman Charlie Nave was an observer of the proceedings.
“I saw a free fair orderly and transparent process,” he told 10 News. “And that’s what I came to see and that’s what I expect to see throughout the process until we are done.”
Both the Republicans and the Democrats are optimistic about their respective candidates’ chances. Niamke said he knows there’s a lot of interest in the board’s work.
“It’s the same timeline no matter what,” he said. ‘It just makes it more interesting because the election is so close.”
The board is scheduled to resume its work on Tuesday. The election must be certified by 5 p.m. Friday. Only then could any possible recount be considered.