****UPDATE: The final certified numbers submitted to state officials on Friday move the race back to a 24-vote margin with Tai Huynh leading incumbent Nancy Oates for the final seat on the Chapel Hill Town Council. During a hand-to-eye count conducted on Thursday night, one ballot was found that had Tai Huynh as a write-in in the race for Chapel Hill Town Council rather than selecting him from the candidate list.

Oates did officially ask for a recount on Friday, according to county election officials. That recount will be carried out on Thursday, November 21, at 9 a.m.****

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A tight race for Chapel Hill Town Council last week got a little bit tighter by the end of Thursday.

Boards of elections in Orange and Durham counties held meetings on Thursday to finalize election totals, adding on provisional and supplemental absentee ballots to the total from Election Night.

All other races across Orange County have been settled since the vote was held last Tuesday, but the race for the final seat on the Chapel Hill Town Council was a 24-vote contest, with UNC senior and newcomer Tai Huynh holding a lead over incumbent Nancy Oates. Oates picked up three votes after the Durham County Board of Elections meeting Thursday morning, but Huynh added two more to his lead Thursday evening in Orange County, to hold a 23-vote margin by the end of the day.

Those numbers will be certified at meetings Friday morning and sent to the state.

County officials said that a recount could be requested if the candidate in fifth place, Oates in this case, is within one percent of fourth. That recount request would have to be submitted by the trailing candidate by noon on Tuesday, Orange County elections director Rachel Raper said Thursday.

Friday’s board meeting to certify the numbers in Orange County is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the board office on Cameron Street in Hillsborough.

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