An Updated Look At Kanawha's Table Games Vote

The Kanawha County Commission will meet 7 p.m. Tuesday to accept the final, 23,192 to 22,849 vote in favor of allowing casino table games at Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center.

Opponents will then have 48 hours to request a recount. Gambling foes plan to meet this morning to discuss their options. Members of both the West Virginia Family Foundation and West Virginia Values Coalition tell The Associated Press that they're leaning toward challenging the vote in some way.

The AP outlines the current situation, and sets the stage for Tuesday's meeting.

Friday's nearly 12-hour canvass of the Aug. 11 special election added 1,066 votes to the tally, including 675 votes in favor of table games.

More than 500 of those "yes" votes emerged from Charleston precincts, and were either overlooked early ballots or votes cast Saturday that were mistakenly left off of tally sheets kept by the clerk's office.

Other communities that saw their vote counts rise by 20 or more ballots: Sissonville, South Charleston, Dunbar, Nitro and Cross Lanes.

Among other highlights from the declared results:

Best turnout: Cross Lanes, at 45.8%.

Worst turnout: Montomery, on the other side of the county from Nitro, at 20.5%.

Highest winning percentage: West Dunbar, at 69%.

Highest anti-table games percentage: Tad, where 73% of 263 voters cast "No" ballots.

Biggest winning margin: Charleston approved table games by 2,427 votes.

Biggest losing margin: Elkview rejected table games by 418 votes.

And as AP noted: "Reflecting the close vote, just 87 precincts approved table games while 86 rejected them. Two precincts -- one at Elk Elementary in Charleston, the other at First Presbyterian Church in St. Albans -- both canceled themselves out with tie votes."