With 71 early and absentee ballots still to count, Wrangell voters appear headed to reelecting two incumbents and a newcomer in contested races for borough assembly and school board seats.

Liz Roundtree was ahead in her bid for another three-year term on the school board, along with first-time candidate Bonnie Ritchie.

They were the top two vote-getters in a five-person race for the seats as of Tuesday night's vote count, with Ritchie receiving 196 votes and Roundtree receiving 125 votes.

Incumbent board member David Wilson lost his reelection bid (72 votes), and Brittani Robbins was defeated in her attempt to get back on the board after a one-year absence (69 votes).

Write-in candidate Jayme Howell also failed to make the top two in the crowded field (108 votes) but was close behind Roundtree for the second seat.

The polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Nolan Center, with 325 ballots cast.

According to Borough Clerk Kim Lane, 71 questioned, early and absentee ballots will be reviewed when the canvass board meets at 1 p.m. Thursday.

The assembly will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to certify the election results.

This year’s municipal election voter turnout -- a total of 393 -- was down substantially from last year’s 544 votes cast, when there was a $3 million bond issue for repairs to the Public Safety Building on the ballot.

In the only other contested race on Tuesday’s ballot, incumbent Phillip Mach was reelected to a one-year term on the borough assembly, with 188 votes before Thursday's count of absentee ballots. He defeated Robbins (61 votes) and Wilson (53 votes), who both ran for the assembly as well as the school board.

Assembly Member David Powell was uncontested in his reelection bid. Dan Powers also was uncontested in his bid to join the assembly. Both were elected to three-year terms. Powell received 234 votes; Powers tallied 270.

Three incumbents on the five-member port commission won reelection unopposed: John Yeager (268 votes) and Winston Davies (272 votes) ran for three-year seats; Antonio Silva (292 votes) ran for a one-year term.