Thomas McDonald is a one-vote leader over Patrick Qualls in the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District board of education race following a review of provisional ballots today.

Results remain unofficial until the canvass of the votes Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the board of elections office in Halifax.

No further absentee ballots came in following this past Tuesday's election, Halifax County Board of Elections Supervisor Kristin Scott told the board. Other results of the school board election remain unchanged, she said.

Going into today's review of the provisionals, the two candidates were deadlocked at 515.

The review, which included running the ballots through the machine, gave McDonald a 519-518 lead.

That means during the review McDonald picked up four votes while Qualls picked up three off provisional ballots.

There were three precincts in Roanoke Rapids where provisional ballots were cast, Scott told the board.

McDonald declined immediate comment this afternoon.

School board Chair Jay Carlisle said, “I think a lot of both of them. Both were of a like mindset. Both are great board members and I have no issue working with either one of them.”

Both candidates said earlier this week they would accept the results of the provisional review or tiebreaker method had the provisionals not untangled the deadlock.

Had the tie not been broken the two would have either had to accept the results of a coin toss flipped by a neutral party or drawn from a hat, Scott said.

Countywide, of the 48 provisional ballots cast, 14 were not approved; three partially approved and 31 were approved.