Election results: Most incumbents remain, BOE to have runoff
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Political signs have dotted the county’s landscape over the last few months, with even more popping up just before the primary election Tuesday, especially near polling facilities. Photo by Christa Jennings
Signs helped remind area residents it was voting day, as well as where to vote. Photo by Christa Jennings
By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
Following Tuesday’s primary election, most of Coosa County’s incumbents will remain, and there will be a runoff for the District 5 Board of Education seat, being vacated by the retirement of current Board Member Gay Adams.
Coosa County had a voter turnout of only 33.92%, with 2,746 ballots cast countywide. That included 509 Democratic ballots, 2,235 Republican ballots and two nonpartisan ballots.
The nonpartisan ballots were individuals who chose to only vote regarding the proposed statewide amendment and not vote on any of the races. Those ballots were cast in Marble Valley and Cottage Grove, with those precincts having one nonpartisan ballot each.
Despite the county’s relatively low voter turnout, it was still better than the state’s turnout. For Alabama, the voter turnout was less than one-fourth of the eligible voters, with a turnout of just 23.35%.
In Coosa County, the Equality precinct had the highest voter turnout with 44.15%. The Community Life Center in Cottage Grove had the lowest turnout with 21.36%.
With all five County Commission seats and the sheriff’s seat up for election, voters elected to keep most incumbents in office, with only one being voted out of office. The other incumbents retained their positions so far, based on primary election results.
On the Democratic ballot, District 2 County Commissioner Bertha Kelly-McElrath won her bid for re-election with 141 votes or 55.29%. Taminko Kelley, who also ran for the seat, received 114 votes or 44.70%.
On the Republican ballot, incumbent District 1 County Commissioner Randall Dunham lost his race for re-election to John Forbus.
Forbus received 277 votes, or 63.24%, and Dunham received 80 votes, or 18.26%. Candidate Elmore Unbehant received 81 votes, or 18.49%.
Forbus will go on to face an independent candidate in the primary election in November.
Judge of Probate Richard Dean confirmed that as of press time the county has one independent candidate who has fully qualified to be on the November ballot for County Commission District 1, Jerry Sewell.
Additionally, Dean said he also received the package for a possible independent candidate for sheriff, but the Board of Registrars must certify the names on the potential candidate’s petition before he is qualified as an independent candidate.
After the qualification is determined and Dean receives certification from the secretary of state and the Ethics Commission that the candidate complied with requirements of the Fair Campaign Practices Act, then the candidate is eligible for his name to be on the November ballot.
In the last County Commission race on the ballot, District 4 Commissioner Ronnie Joiner won his race for re-election with 454 votes, or 65.79%. Opponent Travis Milhan received 236 votes, or 34.20%.
In the race for sheriff, incumbent Michael Howell won re-election with 2,035 votes, or 92.79%. Raymond “Frankie” Jones received 158 votes, or 7.20%.
As mentioned, Howell may go on to face an independent candidate in the November general election.
With all three candidates for Board of Education District 5 not receiving 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff between the top two candidates for that seat.
Joshua A. Culver and Jenny Kimbrell tied for the seat, with each receiving 191 votes, or 34.10%. Candidate Haley Helm Dailey received 178 votes, or 31.78%.
Culver and Kimbrell will go on to be on the Republican ballot for the primary runoff election on June 21.
All of these results are unofficial, with the county canvassing board meeting to count and certify provisional ballot results on Tuesday, May 31. Immediately after that, the county party executive committees may certify the elections, and the Code of Alabama states that they must certify to the state party executive committee chairperson by May 31.
Once that is completed, the county’s election results will be official.
However, Judge Dean reported that the Board of Registrars informed him that there were only two provisional ballots cast in Tuesday’s primary election. Therefore, if both provisional ballots are eligible to be counted, they still will not affect the outcome of the county offices’ election results.
In addition to the local Board of Education seat that will be on the June 21 primary runoff ballot, based on unofficial results as of press time some state offices are also anticipated to be on the runoff ballot because of no one candidate receiving at least 50% of the vote.
Those include Yolanda Rochelle Flowers and Malika Sanders Fortier for governor on the Democratic ballot; and Katie Britt and Mo Brooks for U.S. Senate, Wes Allen and Jim Zeigler for secretary of state, Stan Cooke and Andrew Sorrell for state auditor, Jeremy H. Oden and Brent Woodall for Public Service Commission Place 1, and Chip Beeker and Robert L. McCollum for Public Service Commission Place 2 on the Republican ballot.
Additionally, both in Coosa County and statewide, the proposed statewide amendment relating to state parks and a bond issue passed with a significant majority.
In Coosa County the amendment received 1,869 yes votes, or 72.95%, and only 693 no votes, or 27.04%. At the state level it passed with 604,019 yes votes, or 76.96% of the vote, based on unofficial results as of press time.
The primary runoff election will be held June 21, and the general election will be held November 8. For more information on Alabama elections; including statewide and county results for the primary election, upcoming election-related dates, polling locations, and more; visit the secretary of state’s election center website at www.alabamavotes.gov.
For a precinct-by-precinct breakdown of how Coosa County voted, see the chart on page __.
