Salem - Candidates waited anxiously Tuesday night for what they said was one of the latest announcements of election results in recent memory, and for some, the waiting is not over. Three races will require recounts and another has been affected by minority representation rules.

The races for Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and Library Board of Trustees were within 20 votes and the losers did not waive the recount, said outgoing Town Clerk Patricia Crisanti.

The date for the recount has not been scheduled, but Crisanti said she believes it must be conducted by Nov. 13.

In the Board of Selectmen race, Republican challenger Ed Chmielewski beat Democratic incumbent Robyn McKenney by seven votes.

Chmielewski, McKenney and Robert Ross, a cross-endorsed candidate, ran for the two open seats. Ross, with 325 more votes than Chmielewski, is unaffected by the recount.

“The most important thing is that the will of the residents of Salem is fulfilled,” said Chmielewski, who is also chairman of the Republican Town Committee. He said he supports the recounts but is not expecting any of the Republican winners to lose their seats.

Two Republicans and one Democrat competed for two seats on the Board of Finance, and according to Tuesday’s numbers, the two Republicans received the highest number of votes. But Republican Greg Preston is ahead of Democrat Chris Bennett by 17 votes, placing that election within the mandatory recount margin.

The race for the Library Board of Trustees, in which four candidates competed for two seats, will also necessitate a recount. Republicans Susan Buck and Wendy Ortega were the top vote-getters, but Democrats Carol Traggis and Anne Rowthorn were both within 20 votes of Ortega.

Crisanti said one of the losers in the library trustees race was unsure as of Wednesday about whether she should waive the recount, but her decision is unlikely to have an effect since she is not the only candidate affected.

On Tuesday, it appeared that Republicans and top vote-getters Terri Salas and Ken Bondi were elected to the two open seats on the Zoning board of Appeals. On Wednesday, however, Crisanti said minority representation rules did not allow two Republicans to be elected to the board. Bondi was not elected, she said, and Democrat Kate Bellandese will sit on the board along with Salas.