How Jackson's Ward 1 race unfolded, with 25 votes separating 3 candidates: A play-by-play
If political races were decided by inches, Jackson's Ward 1 would be a photo finish. Just 25 votes separated three candidates in a wild, edge-of-your-seat election night.
Incumbent Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote, a Republican running as an independent, is currently leading the race with 1,738 votes, or 33.43% of the vote. Independent candidate Grace Greene is only 10 votes behind Foote with 1,728 votes, or 33.24% of the vote. Democratic candidate Jasmine Barnes is third — only 15 votes behind Greene and 25 votes behind Foote — with 1,713 votes, or 32.95% of the vote.
The results have left Ward 1 on edge, with the outcome still hanging in the balance. The race could come down to just a handful of affidavit and mail-in ballots, which election commissioners are still counting. Mail-in ballots have five days to arrive after Election Day — meaning votes could still be trickling in and shifting the results.
It's not the first nail-biter in Central Mississippi. In Rankin County's 2023 District 1 runoff, Sid Scarbrough beat Michael Windham by a single vote — 1,244 to 1,243 — after two mail-in ballots broke the tie. One was tossed for being improperly submitted.
Here's a play-by-play of Ward 1's wild election night after polls closed at 7 p.m.:
7:57 p.m.: The first batch of ballots drops. Just two of Ward 1's 10 precincts reported, but Foote grabbed an early lead with 421 votes. Greene and Barnes were hot on his heels with 350 and 323, keeping things tight from the jump.
8:10 p.m.: Four precincts reported. Barnes made a big move, leapfrogging into first with 1,004 votes. Foote slipped to second at 783. Greene falls back with 637 — but it was far from over.
8:35 p.m.: Plot twist. Greene rocketed from last to first, taking a 24-vote edge over Barnes and 35 over Foote. All 10 precincts were in, and it was Greene with 1,684, Barnes with 1,660 and Foote then in third with 1,649. Election commissioners announced absentee ballots — about 870 of them — were next up.
9:13 p.m.: Another shake-up. The absentee ballots flip the whole script. Foote bounced back to the top with 1,738 votes. Greene trailed by just 10 at 1,728. Barnes was still in striking distance with 1,713 — just 25 votes behind the leader.
The Clarion Ledger spoke with all three candidates via phone on Wednesday and each said they were very-much surprised by how tight of a race it was.
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"It's about the wildest thing I've ever been a part of; that was really high drama last night!" Foote said. "It was like playing in a high-stakes football game. It's not over until it's over."
"I was surprised with how close it was. I mean it was almost a perfect three-way tie, which I don't think anyone was expecting it to be that close," Greene said with a chuckle. "This is democracy at work, and we just want to make sure we get it right, and sometimes it's really close but that's how it works."
"I didn't really know what to expect truthfully, but I am super thankful for all of my supporters that came out," Barnes said. "Honestly, it was just great to see a good turnout of voters and hopefully we can continue that in the future."
All three candidates congratulated one another and praised the past five months as a spirited, hard-fought campaigning. In an era of tense politics, their civility was a rare — and welcome — sight. When asked whether they might challenge the results once certified, all three said they hadn't thought that far ahead and plan to wait for the official count.
"My hats off to the two opponents I had that ran a very hard, high-energy campaign," Foote said. "I think it's healthy for the voters as well that they have choices to make and candidates that are pursuing their votes. All of it is the way democracy is supposed to work."
Greene credited her supporters and voters for getting her through her first political campaign, saying she was 'thankful for all the people who publicly supported me and came out to vote for me.'
Barnes also thanked her supporters and said she's looking forward to the results being officially certified.
"I just want to thank everyone for their support; it's been an incredible journey canvassing for the past 18 weeks, so now we'll just patiently wait, trust the process and hopefully I can secure a win," Barnes said.
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In Mississippi, election results are typically certified within 10 days after Election Day by the Mississippi Secretary of State's office. Given that Election Day was June 3, the certification of the Ward 1 race is expected to occur by June 13.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson City Council Ward 1 election 2025: What are the results?
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