JOYCE — Crescent School District officials must wait about five more days to see if a proposed $1.31 million maintenance and operations levy passes.
As of now, the measure is passing by only hundredths of a percent. As few as two votes either way could determine the result.
After Friday’s count of ballots in the all-mail election which came in Monday and Tuesday, 536 voters, or 60.09 percent, support the measure, and 356 voters or 39.91 percent, didn’t.
The winning margin is just 0.09 percent above the 60 percent required by state law to pass a tax levy.
“We have had close elections over the years,” School Superintendent Rich Wilson said.
“This shows every person who voted that their vote is important one way or another.”
A canvassing board will review 11 questionable ballots on Thursday and decide if those ballots will count, said School Board President Tracey Grover.
“Some of the ballots didn’t have a signature, the signatures didn’t match or were not filled out right,” Grover said.
“There were three that were stuck in the drop box outside the courthouse.”
Grover said the questionable ballots require voters to sign and fill out additional paperwork for the votes — either “yes” or “no” — to count.
Results on Thursday?
“We should know by Thursday,” she said. “It is so hard to tell what the outcome will be.”