With absentee ballots yet to be reported, Hampton City Council incumbents Chris Snead and W.H. “Billy” Hobbs were ahead Tuesday night in a race to retain their seats for a third term.
Snead, 64, received the most votes, garnering 5,175 or 24.5%, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
“It’s not a done deal yet,” Snead said. “I am very honored with the votes I have thus far and thank the citizens for supporting me.”
Newcomer Chris Bowman picked up the second-highest number of votes, receiving 4,517 of those cast or 21.6% overall.
By a margin of 70 votes, Hobbs earned the third-highest number of votes, picking up 4,373, or 20.78%. Hobbs is less than half of a percentage point ahead of Lance “Woo” Jones, who earned 4,303 votes, or 20.44%, in unofficial results.
“Whatever is meant to be is meant to be. The will of the people,” Hobbs said. “I’ve had a great run and made a lot of friends and was able to help a lot of people. If this is not meant to be, then there’s something better for me.”
In Virginia, there are no automatic recounts. As per state law, an apparent losing candidate can ask for a recount, and only if the difference does not exceed one percent of the total votes cast.
A.C. Cordoza received 2,248 votes or, 10.6% overall.
The City Council had three “at-large” seats available this election cycle, including the seat occupied by Councilwoman Linda Curtis, who will retire June 30.
The number of absentee ballots to be counted exceeds 5,000, according to information from the Hampton Registrar Tara Morgan shared Tuesday evening.
The city’s registrar’s office mailed out 7,293 absentee ballots requested compared to 343 that were requested in 2018, with the increase squarely attributed to the pandemic, Morgan added.
Those ballots were either mailed in or dropped by 7 p.m. Tuesday into a special ballot box outside of Hampton Voter Registrar office on Commerce Drive.
Provisional votes also have not been tallied up.
Hampton has 95,253 registered voters. In the 2018 City Council election some 13,299 people cast votes, or 14.2% of Hampton’s electorate.
Unofficial results box
Chris Bowman 4,517 votes (21.46%)
Lance “Woo” Jones 4,303 votes (20.44%)
A.C. Cordoza 2,248 votes (10.68%)
Chris O. Snead (I) 5,175 votes (24.59%)
W.H. “Billy” Hobbs (I) 4,373 votes (20.78%)
Source: State Board of Elections
Lisa Vernon Sparks, 757-247-4832, lvernonsparks@dailypress.com
