One vote separated the candidates for mayor of a West Arkansas town

Danville, Arkansas – Not the contest for governor or senator in Arkansas in 2022, but rather for mayor of Danville, Arkansas, was the most heated.

The contest for mayor of Danville was decided by just one vote.

Bill Gilkey received 148 votes, while Phil Moudy, the eight-year incumbent, received 147 votes.

Gilkey appeared to be ahead by two votes after the polls closed, but a recount including extra absentee ballots needed a six-day delay. Moudy said that in order to win, he required all three absentee ballots, but he only received two of them.

Both candidates were shocked by how small the margin was.

“In my mind, I knew it was going to be close, but not this close”, Moudy said.

“I don’t think either one of us knew you know it was going be the difference of one vote,” Gilkey stated.

Gilkey claimed that he canvassed the streets the entire election day to encourage voters to exercise their right to vote. Some of the neighbors acknowledged that they had both campaign signs on their yards.

“We had two very qualified candidates running for the position which creates a unique situation,” Gilkey admitted.

Moudy described his mood as “disappointed”.

“I really expected to win,” Moudy said.

“It does bother me a little bit that we are in a town of about 2,400 people and only less than 300 went and voted in our race,” Gilkey said.

Moudy agreed with the mayor-elect. “Less than 300. Pretty sad. You know. Where was the turnout?” he asked.

Despite competing against one other during the campaign, both men believe that the close result will encourage future voters to participate more.

“If anything else comes out of this, people were able to see that their vote makes a difference,” Gilkey concluded.