UPDATED — Wednesday, Nov. 4
The results from more than half of the ballots cast in the Luray Council race were not reported by election officials until Wednesday morning. However, the final results mirror what the early returns showed on Tuesday night.
Jason Pettit earned the most votes, with 1,690. Pettit, a local businessman and former county deputy, will begin his first four-year term in January.
Councilman Joey Sours returns to his seat for a third term after capturing a total of 1,268 votes.
Former Luray town planner and current planning director for Madison County, Ligon Webb, took the third available seat with 1,169 total votes.
Council member Leah Pence received 605 votes, while town resident Judy Peabody received 455 votes.
Voters were allowed to cast three votes among the five candidates listed on the ballot in the Luray Council race.
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By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Nov. 3 — Early results in the Luray Council race show that two new members and one incumbent appear to have captured the three available seats in a five-way race.
Some questions still remain as absentee ballots were not included in the results given Tuesday night by the Virginia Department of Elections.
However, according to the “unofficial” results available as of Tuesday night, it appears the winners were Jason Pettit, Joey Sours and Ligon Webb.
While noting that current results are still “unofficial,” the Virginia Department of Elections posted a statement at the top of the results page on its website Tuesday night that read: “Absentee ballots may be accepted until noon on November 6th. Therefore, results are incomplete. Results will be certified on November 16th.”
There were 3,412 registered voters in the Town of Luray as of Oct. 27. Just over 1,000 votes have been counted in Luray’s mayoral race. Four years ago, the ballot count was closer to 2,000.
As of Tuesday night, Pettit had received the most votes at this point in the Luray Council race, with 791.
“I’m humbled by the results,” Pettit said Tuesday night. “Many times we think we know what the bigger issues are, but really when you speak with people that can change your perspective. It just goes to show, in public service, you have to listen to the people.”
Sours, the lone incumbent to return to the council, has earned 631 votes. He was first elected in 2012 and looks to be entering his third, four-year term.
“I’ve learned, more than ever, the importance of real, one-on-one conversations with people to come up with an understanding and solutions,” Sours said of this year’s campaign. “There’s still no replacement for looking someone in the eye and talking with them one-on-one.”
Webb, Luray’s former town planner from 2006 to 2017, received 527 votes.
“I’ve been inspired by how much people like to talk about our town and its future,” Webb said. “After 10 years of working for the town as town planner, I have come to have a lot of meaningful relationships in town, and I look forward to serving the town again.”
Incumbent Leah Pence received 201 votes, while challenger Judy Peabody earned 148 votes.
All three winners acknowledged all of the candidates in the race, noting both the manner in which the race was conducted and the overall quality of the candidates on the ballot.
“I appreciate so much, everyone that ran,” Sours said. “Everyone brought great ideas and great perspectives to the table, both at the forum and in the course of the campaign.”
Voters were allowed to cast three votes among the five candidates listed on the ballot in the Luray Council race.
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