Frederick County school board candidate Colt Morningstar Black increased his lead over candidate Josh Bokee on Thursday for the third and final open school board seat.

Black’s lead on Bokee increased by 48 votes from Wednesday. Black remains in third place, 171 votes ahead of Bokee, who is in fourth place, according to Thursday’s totals.

This week, Bokee has gradually gained ground on the lead that Black has held since Election Day. Thursday’s totals show that for the first time this week, Black increased his lead over Bokee.

There are six candidates and three vacant seats on the board.

The new totals after Thursday’s vote count were as follows:

*Jaime Kiersten Brennan — 54,833

*Janie Monier — 54,500

* Black — 52,869

* Boké — 52,698

* Chad King Wilson Sr. — 48,401

* Veronica D. Lowe — 40,594

Brennan increased his lead over Monier on Thursday by 33 votes. Monier was in third place after Election Day, but passed Black for second place on November 8.

There is also a registered candidate, Heather Fletcher. Thursday’s totals show registered candidates received 22,829 votes, but do not yet specify who received them.

Frederick County Elections Director Barbara Wagner said there are 1,372 provisional ballots remaining to be reviewed.

She said there were also 157 absentee ballots to review.

But there could be more. The deadline for any absentee ballot to be received and nonetheless counted is 10 a.m. Friday, provided it is postmarked by Election Day.

Wagner said canvassers reviewed 1,005 ballots Thursday.

Wagner added that she did not know if the Frederick County Board of Elections would finish reviewing all the ballots by the end of the day Friday, when the board is expected to certify.

If canvassers don’t finish reviewing all the ballots Friday, she said, the results should be certified Saturday.

In a statement released Nov. 8 by Jared DeMarinis, the state elections administrator, he wrote that the Maryland State Board of Elections may not certify the state’s results by Friday.

The three open seats on the Frederick County School Board are because the incumbents are not seeking re-election – Sue Johnson, David Bass and Jason Johnson.

Board members serve a four-year term. The remaining voting members of the board – President Karen Yoho, Vice President Rae Gallagher, and members Nancy Allen and Dean Rose – will complete their terms in 2026.

Three candidates – Bokee, Monier and Wilson – have been endorsed by Frederick County public school employee unions and are considered the “ballot apple.”

Brennan and Black campaigned together and with Fletcher.

The three apple ballot candidates individually received more than 10,000 votes between the vote totals on November 6, the day after Election Day, and the count on Thursday, following the provisional review of the ballots.

Monier’s total increased by 11,390 votes, Bokee’s by 10,815 and Wilson’s by 10,216.

During the same period, Lowe’s total increased by 6,729 votes, Brennan’s by 5,585, and Black’s by 4,808.

Totals from Nov. 7 show 56,176 absentee ballots were counted in Frederick County. As of Thursday, 78,714 mail-in ballots had been counted.