Absentee ballots will have to be counted before the race for the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District commissioner Position 4 is decided.

As of noon on Friday incumbent Allison Tapert led her opponent Linda Cotton by only 38 votes, but it’s too close to call until all the mail-in ballots are counted.

According to the Island County Auditor’s office all precincts are in and have been counted, but there are approximately 4,500 absentee or mail-in ballots remaining to be counted. Those numbers include ballots from all of Island County races. Not all will pertain to the parks election. Official certified results will be posted on the auditor’s Web site next week.