Wilmington town supervisor candidates Sam Haselton, left, and Tim Follos listen as same-day vote totals are read shortly after poll closing at the Wilmington Town Offices on Tuesday evening. Seen at right is town Councilwoman Laura Dreissigacker Hooker, who supported and campaigned for Follos, recording the tallies as they were read aloud. (Enterprise photo — Chris Gaige)

WILMINGTON — In one of the most closely watched and high-turnout races in the region, Tim Follos is the projected winner for Wilmington Town Supervisor according to unofficial election night results, defeating write-in candidate Sam Haselton and incumbent Supervisor Favor Smith, who was not actively running.

Smith ended his campaign in August and endorsed Haselton, though it was too late for Smith’s name to be removed from the ballot.

As of midnight Wednesday, Follos has received 340 votes, or about 52.7%. There were 285 write-in votes, with an undetermined amount for Haselton or 44.2%. There were 20 votes for Smith, or 3.1%. The percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of 1% and do not reflect any undervotes — ballots where voters left this race unmarked. These figures include ballots cast during the early voting period, on Election Day and absentee ballots that have been returned by Nov. 4.

Though it’s presumed nearly all of those write-ins were for Haselton, Essex County Board of Elections officials did not determine who those write-ins were for on election night. That process is expected to happen later within the canvassing timeframe.

Essex County Deputy Democratic Commissioner Jennifer Fifield said there were 16 outstanding absentee ballots for the town of Wilmington after polls closed. Absentee ballots can be received by boards of elections through the mail up to Nov. 12, provided that the ballot was postmarked no later than Nov. 4.

Given the, at least, 65-vote margin in the supervisor’s race, the outstanding absentees are not enough to close the gap.

Follos ran on the independent “Peoples” party line and Smith’s name appeared on the Republican and independent “Honesty” party lines. After Smith dropped out, the Essex County Republican Party endorsed Haselton as a write-in.

Follos currently serves as a town councilman, having been elected in 2021. His council seat, along with Tina Terry-Preston’s, were up for election tonight, with four candidates running: Hanna Cromie, Mindy Goddeau, Preston and Randy Winch, in addition to Karl von Entress’ name on the ballot, though he was no longer actively running, having ended his candidacy after it was too late to remove his name on the ballot. Preston ran as a write-in candidate.

Given that there were two open seats, voters could make up to two selections in the town council race.

According to unofficial election night results, Winch leads with 317 votes, or about 28.1%. Cromie is in second place with 287 votes, or about 25.4%. Goddeau is in third place with 274 votes, or about 24.3% of the vote. There were 250 write-in votes, with an undetermined amount for Preston, or about 22.2%. Von Entress received 48 votes, or about 4.3%. The percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of 1% and do not reflect any undervotes — ballots where voters left this race unmarked. These figures include ballots cast during the early voting period, on Election Day and absentee ballots that have been returned by Nov. 4.

Though it’s presumed nearly all of those write-ins were for Preston, Essex County Board of Elections officials did not determine who those write-ins were for on election night, similar to the supervisor’s race. Given the 13-vote margin between Cromie and Goddeau, the 16 outstanding absentee ballots could hypothetically change the outcome, though it would require almost all of the ballots be received and to support Goddeau.

Winch and Cromie both ran on the independent “Peoples” party line along with Follos. The three ran as a ticket and each encouraged voters to support each other.

There was a three-way race for town highway superintendent, with incumbent Louis Adragna appearing to win reelection, fending off challenges from Cameron Grady and Darren Lawrence.

According to unofficial election night results, Adragna received 301 votes, or 49.7%. Grady finished in second with 261, or 43.1% of votes. Lawrence placed third with 44 votes, or 7.3%. The percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth of 1% and do not reflect any undervotes — ballots where voters left this race unmarked. These figures include ballots cast during the early voting period, on Election Day and absentee ballots that have been returned by Nov. 4.

Adragna ran on the Republican and independent “Commitment” party lines, Grady ran on the independent “Progress” party line and Lawrence ran on the independent “Better Roads” line. Given the current 40-vote margin between Adragna and Grady, the outstanding absentees are not enough to close the gap.

In the other local races, incumbent Town Clerk/Tax Collector Dawn Stevens ran for reelection unopposed, running on the Republican and independent “Heart” party lines. She received 453 votes to 11 write-ins, a 442-vote gap that far exceeds the number of outstanding votes.

There were no named candidates for both races for assessor — one to fill the unexpired current term and the other for the next elected term. There were 13 write-ins for the unexpired term and 82 write-ins for the next elected term, though like the other write-in votes, the actual names that voters wrote the ballot were not available as of election night.

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Outstanding vote

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County boards of elections can receive absentee ballots until Nov. 12, provided that they were postmarked by Nov. 4. A recanvassing of the general election results is set for Nov. 17 statewide. This is when boards of elections meet to review the results, tabulate any outstanding absentee votes and decide on affidavit ballots — those cast by people whose voter eligibility is uncertain, then held separately for elections officials to ascertain.

Affidavit ballots, also referred to as provisional ballots, are sealed in a separate envelope apart from the voter’s information, and are only opened to tabulate the ballot selections in the event that — and after — election officials have determined that the voter is indeed eligible. If the voter is deemed ineligible, their ballot remains sealed and is discarded.

Representatives for both major parties are present during the recanvassing process, ensuring its integrity.