JEFFERSON TWP — A write-in candidate won a township supervisor seat after mounting a campaign to defeat a candidate whose name was on the ballot.

Rodger Davis got 472 votes on Nov. 8 and defeated Leo Cypher, Jr., who got 450 votes.

Write-in results for all races were made official this week by the Butler County Bureau of Elections.

Davis, 49, on Tuesday acknowledged it’s a rare feat for a write-in candidate to defeat someone whose name is on the ballot, but he attributed his victory to a rigorous door-knocking campaign in the months leading up to the election.

He decided to embark on the write-in campaign after the primary in May, a time when he said dozens of residents asked him to run.

Davis said he ran because there are a lot of concerns aired by township residents about the population growth in neighboring Buffalo Township. They worry that growth will come to Jefferson.

Many residents in Jefferson like its rural qualities, something he believes should be protected and encouraged, Davis said.