The unofficial votes released Tuesday do not include 1,858 absentee ballots still outstanding and 396 provisional ballots.
County voters also were asked to decide two races for county commissioner in the primary election delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Voting following the original election date of March 17 was all by absentee ballot.
In commission one race, incumbent Commissioner Greg Simmons of Monroe Twp. was leading challenger Joe Gibson, Tipp City’s mayor, in a Republican race. The unofficial vote showed Simmons with 56.46 percent and Gibson with 43.54 percent. The primary winner will be commissioner because no Democrats filed for the position.
The second commission race was a three-way Republican primary featuring former Commissioner Wade Westfall of Troy, retired judge William McGregor “Greg” Dixon of Newton Twp. and businessman Mark Williams of Staunton Twp.
The unofficial vote showed Westfall with 47 percent, Dixon with 19.15 percent and Williams with 33.85 percent.
The primary winner will face Democrat Jack Bastian of Piqua in November.
A third commission race was uncontested. That seat is held by Ted Mercer, who was appointed in 2019, required to run for the final two years of the term this year. Mercer also is a Republican.
Also on the ballot were two tax issues by the Pleasant Hill-Newton Twp. Joint Fire District. One issue was an additional tax for operations. The second was a proposed 28-year bond issue to raise $2.95 million for a station and equipment. In the unofficial total, the tax was ahead by 52.17 percent to 47.83 percent. The bond issue was being defeated 53.95 percent to 46.05 percent.
The Miami County Board of Elections said it will conduct the official count May 11.
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