The fight is not over for the opponents of table games additions in Kanawha County.
Opponents of table games are hoping 500 provisional ballots will turn around a 33-vote deficit left after Saturday’s special election. It was election that went back and forth all evening.
Opponent Fred Joseph says he and others will keep their heads high until the final votes are counted.
"You’re up once, then you’re down the next time, and then back up, and down, certainly we would have liked to have a spread where we didn’t have to worry about it, but that’s alright we’ll hang in there," he said. "We’ve been tough through the fight, so we’ll hang in until the end."
Rev. Dennis Sparks agrees with Joseph’s assessment: "We wish we were on top of what we do know, but we know we’ve put a good fight and we know now that there’s still a battle ahead."
The 500 provisional ballots will be looked at on Friday when the Kanawha County Canvassing Board meets.
"The main thing, we don’t want to let the people down of this county, the people who worked hard, the people who came out and voted the people who didn’t respond to the million dollars in advertising," said Sparks.
One of the points opponents of table games look at is how close the election is in spite of the amount of money gambling proponents spent on advertising.
"We’re very proud of what we’ve done as far as the opposing side, because who would have ever thought it would be this close with just a few rag tag grass roots then people joining in and us fighting against probably six to seven million dollars," said table games opponent Melody Potter.
Potter says she, like other table games opponents, is waiting for Friday: "It’s a long way to go, so it’s really no over, so as of right now neither side has won, so we’ll just have to see what happens when they do the canvass."