Absentee ballots from five more precincts counted Monday made a tight Warren County tax collector’s race nearly a dead heat, as incumbent Antonia Flaggs-Jones’ lead narrowed to 24 votes heading into what officials hope is a final day of counting today.

With 428 absentees from 16 of the county’s 22 precincts in, Flaggs-Jones, a Democrat, had 7,402 votes to 7,378 votes for Republican Patty Mekus, a 62-vote gain for the challenger since absentee tallies began 12 hours after Tuesday’s general election.

Another 300 absentees were left to count from the final six precincts, Jim Moore, an election support staff member with the Warren County Election Commission, said Monday.

In contrast, the chancery clerk’s race showed signs of settling. Republican Donna Farris Hardy picked up 154 absentee votes Monday to Democrat Walter Osborne’s 67, giving her 6,799 votes to his 6,276 heading into today. Alecia Ashley has 1,561 votes, picking up 21 absentees, and Gene Thompson has 206, a pick-up of six.

So far, absentees from the Redwood, Bovina, Auditorium, 3-61, St. Aloysius, Cedar Grove, Brunswick, Kings, YMCA, Plumbers and Pipefitters, Oak Ridge, Culkin, Elks Lodge, Goodrum, No. 7 Fire Station and Yokena precincts have been counted.

The second- and third-largest precincts — Vicksburg Junior High School and American Legion — are two of the remaining six officials expect to cover today. The others are Jett, Beechwood, Tingleville and Moose Lodge.

Reprinted absentee ballots received from the Secretary of State’s Office in October to include the economic impact of three constitutional initiatives arrived without scannable codes on them, which has forced a long-hand tally.

Counts of affidavit ballots continued today by the Election Commission. Those ballots, cast most often by residents whose addresses can’t be verified at polling places, can be scanned into the main processing computer at the courthouse.

Unofficial results showed 47.6 percent of Warren County’s 30,898 registered voters cast ballots at the polls Tuesday, up from 36 percent from 2007.