NORWICH – Town election years are always very different, said Chenango County Board of Elections Republican Commissioner Harriet Jenkins, but this year’s races were “even crazier.”

“It was unbelievable,” said Democratic Commissioner Carol A. Franklin.

Elections officials tallied the absentee ballots Tuesday for close races in the towns of Otselic, Smyrna and Guilford.

Only one absentee ballot made the difference in the race for Town of Otselic supervisor, and the vote count for the town’s clerk position resulted in a failure to elect.

With a total of 341 votes cast, Democratic Supervisor David J. Messineo has won another two-year term. He earned 170 votes versus 169 counted for his Republican challenger, Otselic Councilman Stanley E. Davis. Only one vote separated the two candidates on Election Day as well, but with Davis in the lead.

Jenkins said the count wasn’t completely official because three absentee military ballots have until Nov. 16 to arrive by mail. However, she said she “would be surprised to receive them” because they would have to have been postmarked on Nov. 2.