Signing up to vote in Tuesday’s Sparta Town Election are David Evans and Marye Lineback. To the right of the table is election worker Lucille Craven. A total of 103 people voted of the 941 registered in the town.

Turnout is light for Sparta municipal election Tuesday

With only 103 of the Sparta’s 941 registered voters (10.3 percent) going to the polls, the town’s two incumbent councilmen won re-election easily Tuesday night in unofficial vote totals.

John Brady was the top vote getter with 82 votes of the 185 votes cast in the race, or 44 percent, in the town’s non-partisan election. Coming in a close second was Mike Parlier with 79 votes, or 43 percent. Third place went to challenger George K. Vaughn, who garnered 24 votes, or 13 percent.

Running unopposed was Mayor John Miller, who garnered 86 of 88 votes cast in the mayoral election. Write-in votes were cast for Terry McGrady and R.G. James (one each).

No write-in votes were cast in the town council race.

Voting was held in the bottom floor of the Sparta Town Hall (formerly the office of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation) on Main Street. The election was conducted by the Alleghany County Board of Elections, which has run town elections since 2001.

The results will remain unofficial until they are canvassed on Friday by the board of elections.

Tuesday’s vote total was down from the 2003 election, during which 150 people voted, but still higher than the election in 2001, in which only 54 people voted.

Board of Elections Chairman Ed Adams said everything smoothly. “It certainly was a light turnout,” he said. “I don’t think anyone voted after 5:30 p.m.” Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and closed at 7:30 p.m.

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