The last 107 absentee ballots from the Nov. 8 general election were expected to decide a winner in the Warren County tax collector’s race as a vote count enters its fourth day.

With 607 absentees from 20 of the county’s 22 precincts tallied, incumbent Antonia Flaggs-Jones had 7,493 votes to 7,456 for Republican Patty Mekus. Jones’ lead grew slightly since Monday following results from four precincts Tuesday — two of which were Vicksburg Junior High School and American Legion, where she won 74 percent of the vote on Election Day.

Left to count are the Jett and Moose Lodge precincts, which split support at the polls between the two candidates. Flaggs-Jones won the Jett precinct, housed at Immanuel Baptist Church, with 65 percent, while Mekus won 67 percent at Moose Lodge, housed at Berachah Baptist.

Republican Donna Farris Hardy appeared safely ahead in the chancery clerk’s race, picking up 76 absentee votes Tuesday and 6,874 overall. Democrat Walter Osborne was selected on 91 absentees counted Tuesday and has 6,367 votes. Independents Alecia Ashley and Gene Thompson have 1,567 and 208 votes, respectively.

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 of the official absentee vote count. One deputy clerk reads voters’ choices in each of 26 races and three initiatives on the general election ballot, while three others use pencils to record tally marks on a spreadsheet. Counts were suspended Friday as the courthouse closed for the Veterans Day holiday.

Deputy clerk Pearl Nelson clutched the day’s last handful of pencils, eagerly awaiting an end to the tedious work.

“I have to check my fingers,” she said. “People don’t realize how (tough) this is.”

Tuesday’s counting stopped about 4:45 p.m.. About 70 affidavit ballots with the codes had been organized by district by the Election Commission by 4:15. The paper forms, cast most often by residents whose addresses can’t be verified at polling places, will be scanned into a main processing computer at the courthouse.

Scanning the affidavits while absentees were read aloud was doable, but Flaggs-Jones and Mekus wanted undivided attention on each step of the process, said Donald Oakes, an adviser to the commission.

“The candidates wanted to be present when they do that,” Oakes said.

Voter turnout in Warren County for last week’s election has risen two points since absentee counting began, to 49.6 percent. The mark is up sharply from a 36 percent turnout in 2007.