Straggling mail-in and provisional ballots from the November general election have tipped the scales in the race for Midland Independent School District’s District 5 seat.
Based on Election Night results, candidates Heidi Kirk and Thomas Wolfmueller were headed for a runoff as the top two vote-getters in a three-way race for school board trustee — with Kirk receiving 38.57 percent of the vote and Wolfmueller receiving 30.72. The third candidate, John Trischitti III, trailed closely behind by merely one vote, with 30.71 percent. With no candidate gaining over 50 percent of the vote, the race was originally slated for a runoff between Kirk and Wolfmueller.
A number of mail-in and provisional ballots that were counted after Election Night, however, now show Trischitti ahead of Wolfmueller each collecting 2,053 and 2,009 votes, respectively. Kirk received 2,551.
Kirk and Trischitti will now enter a runoff election that will take place December 11. Early voting is November 26 through December 7.
