A Four-Vote Swing Turns an Election
An official canvass overturns a preliminary count, leaving County Commissioner J.B. Clements as the Democratic nominee by the thinnest of margins.
The official returns of the primary election give County Commissioner J. B. Clements a place on the ticket over N. A. McPhee by a margin of only four votes. Preliminary returns had previously indicated that McPhee had won the Democratic nomination by two votes, leading the incumbent commissioner to believe his political troubles were over. The official canvass changed the result, and Clements has stated he intends to run an active campaign against the Republican nominee, Jos. Gerards.
“The official canvass, however, has changed the aspect of things and when in the city yesterday Mr. Clements said that he is in the race to win.”
Election administration and canvassing procedures remain a flashpoint in local politics. This account highlights that even in 1914, the difference between political survival and defeat could be just a handful of ballots.
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