UPDATED: Gray leads Phaneuf in early voting totals

Update: Adella Gray won the runoff election with 54 percent of the votes.

Early votes are in and Alderwoman Adella Gray is ahead of Paul Phaneuf by 153 votes in the Ward 1 City Council runoff election.

According to unofficial early and absentee totals, Gray received 422 votes (61 percent) and Phaneuf received 269 votes (39 percent).

Peter Loris, chair of the Washington County Election Commission, said the final results are expected to be counted and released soon.

The runoff comes three weeks after the Nov. 4 general election when Phaneuf took 1,759 votes (39%), followed by Gray‘s 1,661 votes (37%) and Sonia Davis Gutierrez’ 1,110 votes (25%).

In Arkansas, a candidate must win a 50 percent majority of the votes or receive more than 40 percent and be ahead of the runner-up by 20 percent to avoid a runoff.

There were no other races in Washington County this election season.