In a race that ended in a close finish for the top three candidates, Thursday’s Ward 1 special election will likely move to a runoff between Thomas “T.J.” Mayfield, and either Daryl Hollingsworth or Kevin L. Winters Sr.

Unofficial election results, not including affidavit ballots – which have not yet been counted – put Mayfield in the lead with 538 votes, followed by Hollingsworth with 163, and Winters in a close third place with 156 votes.

Thursday’s unofficial numbers, counting absentee ballots, gave Mayfield just over 42 percent of the 1,259 votes cast.

Vicksburg City Clerk Deborah Nickson said her office hopes to have affidavit ballots counted by the end of the weekend.

The special election’s rules stipulate that if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will take place between the two candidates receiving the most votes in the special election.

Following Thursday’s vote, Mayfield said he is grateful for the support of the community, both in the special election and in the wake of his father Michael Mayfield Sr.’s death in March, which opened the vacancy the election will fill.

“It’s exciting,” Mayfield said of Thursday’s results. “Of course, it’s another three weeks that we have to beat the pavement and work to get the people out to vote again. I’m appreciative to the people who did come out to vote for me. To my opponents, there’s no ill will. And to anybody who supported me or didn’t support me, I hope I can get your vote in three weeks.”

Hollingsworth also said he will keep promoting the message he has campaigned on since the election’s start.

“My heart’s with the city, so I just want to get back in there and see if we can find some more votes,” he said.

City officials said affidavit ballots are expected to be counted over the weekend, and if official numbers maintain current percentages, a runoff will take place Thursday, May 30.

Unofficial numbers from Thursday’s election for all ten candidates included: Mayfield, 538; Hollingsworth, 162; Winters, 156; Charles Selmon, 123; Bobbie Bingham Morrow, 120; Gregory E. Bingham, 42; Michael Gates, 39; Jamma Williams, 38; Warren Jones, 21; Joseph E. Williams, 19.