Unofficial results show incumbent Springdale mayor winning by 1 vote

Unofficial election results show incumbent Springdale Mayor Joel Anderson ahead of his Democratic challenger by just a single vote.

Allegheny County tabulations from Tuesday night’s election have Anderson, a Republican, with 517 votes and John Murray with 516. Among the 13 write-in votes, none listed either candidate.

Anderson won an unopposed race in 2023 to complete the term of former Mayor John Molnar, who died in office in 2022.

Anderson did not respond to a TribLive request for comment Wednesday.

Murray said he’s not ready to concede the race. The Democrat said he’s still optimistic, hoping additional ballots not included in the unofficial results may put him over the top.

“If (Anderson) wins, I will congratulate him,” Murray said. “I only want what’s best for the town.”

Between the three borough polling places, voters cast 10 provisional ballots that have not yet been included in the unofficial vote tallies.

A provisional ballot records a vote while the county board of elections determines whether it can be counted. Provisional ballots are cast for a number of reasons, including discrepancies in the poll book or to ensure voters did not vote both by mail and in person.

Pennsylvania doesn’t automatically require recounts for tight races at the municipal level. Local voters would be required to request — and pay a fee — for one to occur.

According to Pennsylvania voter information, provisional ballots are typically considered by county boards of election within seven days of Election Day.