After a race between a long-time city councilwoman and a first time contender ended up in a tie, the city of Brundidge is gearing up for the run-off race.

On Oct. 7, Brundidge’s District 5 Councilwoman Isabell Boyd, who has served on the council since 1986, will face her challenger Steven Coleman for the seat.

Coleman was widely reported to have won the Aug. 26 municipal election due to confusion over how to interpret elections results posted at the polling location. Election officials determined the day following the election that absentee vote totals had been omitted from results reported by local media and around town.

With absentee votes factored in, Boyd Coleman were tied with 81 votes each.

In an effort to stave off similar confusion, a public testing of the voting equipment was conducted Friday at City Hall to explain how the machines worked to those present.

Brundidge City Election Manager Britt Thomas explained when machine totals are tallied, the regular ballots and absentee ballot totals are listed separately.

Anita West, a representative of Election Systems Software, said the votes are split in case their is a need for a recount.

Coleman attended the public testing Friday, and he said he has been preparing for the next election.

“I’ve just been campaigning everyday house to house, trying to get whoever didn’t vote last time, and trying to get whoever voted for my opponent to vote for me,” Coleman said.

Coleman said after the testing, he feels more confident in this election.

“I’ve gotten a lot of good response from the people, and I’m working a little bit longer and making to a couple of houses I missed last time,” Coleman said.

The polls open on Oct. 7 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thomas said.

“One of the things to focus on in this election, is this is only for the registered voters of District 5,” Thomas said.

The election will be held in the former Hasting Hardware building.