New London — Democrat Ernest Hewett appears sure to return to Hartford for a sixth term as the representative for the 39th House District after an apparent victory over Republican challenger Andrew R. Lockwood Sr.

A problem with a vote tabulating machine in the city’s 2nd voting district prevented the registrars of voters from issuing final vote tallies.

Lacking absentee votes and Election Day registration votes from that district, Hewett, who has represented the 39th District since first being elected in 2004, won re-election by a vote of 2,263 to 1,106.

The race was a rematch of the 2010 contest, which Hewett won by a 2-1 margin. The 39th House District includes the northern two-thirds of New London.

Lockwood got a late start and was not endorsed by the New London Republican Town Committee or nominated at the party’s convention in May. Instead, he petitioned his way into a primary and, because there was no other candidate running in the primary, Lockwood became the Republican nominee, according to the Secretary of the State’s office.

The race for the seat featured practically no interaction between the two candidates, who live nearly across the street from each other. Hewett declined an invitation to participate in a debate sponsored by The Day, and Lockwood instead held his own forums.

Though Lockwood has not held elected office, his name has appeared on ballots for local and state offices frequently. In 2009, he ran on the Republican ticket for City Council and came in last. The next year, he challenged Hewett for the 39th District seat and lost. And in 2011, Lockwood was a petitioning candidate for mayor and received fewer than 200 votes.

c.young@theday.com

Twitter: @ColinAYoung