The 421 registered voters in Columbia had three methods of making their choices known in the Nov. 3 municipal election: early voting in the elections office, absentee by mail or going to Tyrrell Hall on Election Day.

Debbie Swain, county elections director, reported that 57 people voted early, two voted absentee by mail and 86 voted on Election Day, for a total of 145 in unofficial returns.

Four provisional ballots were cast, too, and Swain said Thursday, Nov. 5, they were found to be eligible and will be counted on Nov. 10 when the board of elections conducts its official canvass.

The 149 voters produced a turnout of 35.4 percent of the 421 eligible to cast ballots in the biennial town election. The five towns in Dare County reportedly had a combined turnout of 22.2 percent.

Michael Griffin, mayor since 2007, won re-election with 88 votes to 56 for challenger Mike Crowder.

Griffin garnered 40 early votes, two absentees, and 46 votes on Election Day.

Crowder got 17 in early voting, no absentees, and 39 votes on Election Day.

Griffin’s commanding lead came through early voting and absentees, but those results were not known until the polls closed at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Alderman James Cahoon garnered one write-in vote for mayor.

An anomoly seems apparent in the voting pattern. 57 votes in the early voting were recorded in the mayor’s race, and 94 votes in the aldermen’s race, where voters had opportunity to vote for both candidates. That means 37 voters only marked for one alderman rather than both.

In the poll voting on Election Day, 85 votes were case for mayor and 118 for the aldermen; thus 33 voters did not mark the second choice for alderman.

Since a federal court order was issued in 1994, Tyrrell voters have been limited to a single choice in elections for county commissioner and school board, regardless of the number of seats to be filled.

That restriction has never applied to the town in multiple-seat elections, and this year’s ballots clearly stated, “You may vote for TWO” in the alderman race.

But it seems likely the county and school board limitations for the past two decades influenced one-third of Columbia voters to mark only one choice for alderman.