BROOKINGS — Voters on Tuesday decided they like what the Brookings City Council is doing, electing to return incumbents Wayne Avery and Nick Wendell to their positions in an election that was never separated by more than 150 votes.

Three candidates ran for the two, three-year positions that were up for grabs. Besides Wendell and Avery, newcomer Al Austreim had also thrown his hat into the ring. His bid, however, came up short by 37 votes. Unofficial vote totals were:

• Avery: 1,221
• Wendell: 1,108
• Austreim: 1,071

“I want to just congratulate the other candidates, Nick and Allen,” Avery said in an interview with the Brookings Register on Tuesday night. “I think it was fortunate to have three really good candidates — everybody worked really hard to win the election. I was just fortunate to get a few more votes than the other candidates. I’m really pleased about that.”

Wendell also shared his thoughts. “I just want to say thank you to the people of Brookings. I’m excited to get back to work on the council,” he said.

The total vote added up to 3,400, with 2,024 ballots cast. As of January 2023 there were 13,018 registered voters in Brookings.

“Voter turnout was disappointingly low,” City Clerk Bonnie Foster told the Register on Tuesday night. “There was a lot of great effort put out by these candidates.”

The turnout was also noted by Avery. “We were following the numbers, and the margins didn’t get any wider,” he said. “We’re feeling good about that — a lot of good support and a lot of really generous, kind people that supported me along the way.”

It’s an old saying, but it always rings true: If you think your vote doesn’t count, you’re wrong. After all, Tuesday night’s City Council race was a close one for all three contenders. Keep that in mind, folks, as other elections come up in the months ahead.

What follows is a breakdown of the overall vote by vote center, along with absentee votes:

Vote Center 1 — Brookings Activity Center: Here, Avery pulled in 256 votes while Wendell claimed 250 and Austreim earned 191 for an overall total of 697 votes and 413 ballots.

Vote Center 2 — Bethel Baptist Church: Here, Austreim took in 353 votes while Avery was a close second with 351 votes and Wendell earning 296 votes, for an overall total of 1,000 votes and 597 ballots.

Vote Center 3 — Holy Life Tabernacle Church: Here, Austreim earned 152 votes as Avery and Wendell snagged 131 and 115 votes, respectively. The overall total votes added up to 398, with 247 ballots cast.

Absentee: Avery led in this area with 483 votes, while Wendell brought in 447 votes and Austreim earned 375 votes for an overall vote total of 1,305 with 767 ballots cast.

Per state law, Austreim can request a recount since his vote total of 1,071 was only a difference of 37 votes from the 1,108 earned by Wendell. That’s within the 2 percent of total votes cast.

It was not known as of Tuesday night if Austreim intended to pursue a recount and he did not respond to Register requests for comment. If he wishes to do so, he will have until 5 p.m. April 23 to make the decision.

The election results will be canvassed and made official at the next City Council meeting on April 16.

The new, three-year terms for Avery and Wendell will begin on May 1, with their swearing in taking place at the May 7 meeting of the City Council.

— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.