A Nov. 26 runoff will be required to determine the winner of the Education District 9 school board race in Tallahatchie County.
With 213 votes (37%), Robin L. Hodges led three candidates for the seat on the East Tallahatchie School District Board of Trustees. In the runoff, she will face incumbent Darrell W. Neal, who got 190 votes (33%). Verry “Vera” Gary received 176 votes (30%) to finish as the odd person out.
In other contested local races:
» In a special election for justice court judge in the 1st Judicial District, Shannon van der Poel defeated Tara L. Lang. Van der Poel recorded 1,404 votes (53%) to Lang’s 1,246 (47%). Van der Poel will serve out the remaining three years of the regular four-year term to which Lance Dahl Tennyson was elected last fall following the retirement of longtime justice judge Steve Ross.
Tennyson was appointed acting county prosecuting attorney after Carol Turner resigned earlier this year. He ran unopposed Tuesday and will serve the remaining three years of the four-year term.
» In a special election for District 2 constable, incumbent Sharon Elaine Bailey won with 1,245 votes (56%), beating Frank Chambers, who had 984 (44%). Bailey will serve out the remaining three years of the term of her late husband, Clifton Bailey. She was appointed to fill the post after his January death.
» Incumbent Margaret McIntyre Simmons turned back challenger Damon Stroud to retain her District 1 seat on the Tallahatchie County Election Commission. Simmons received 578 votes (52%) to Stroud’s 526 (48%) in Tuesday balloting.
» In a special election for Education District 3, a seat on the West Tallahatchie School District Board of Trustees, newcomer Gloria Madden Carter won with 111 votes (59%) to Roberta Levettie Redd’s 76 votes (41%). The special election was necessary after one-term ED3 trustee Edith Gipson did not seek reelection in the fall of 2023 and no one else qualified, leaving the seat vacant.
Tallahatchie County gave Democratic incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris 52% of the local vote for president, but former President Donald J. Trump, who got 47% of the local vote, was declared the winner nationally after a projection that he had exceeded the required Electoral College threshold of 270 electoral votes early Wednesday.
Trump, a Republican who served as president from 2017-2020 before losing a reelection bid to Democrat Joe Biden, is scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States during traditional inauguration ceremonies on Jan. 20.
In addition to the Electoral College vote, as of Wednesday morning, Trump was also leading in the popular vote by about 5 million votes.
Tallahatchie County gave Democrat Ty Pinkins 51% of the local vote in his quest to unseat longtime U.S. Sen. Roger F. Wicker. However, Wicker, a Republican, won reelection by garnering 63% of the statewide vote.
Longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson received 58% of the Tallahatchie County vote in his reelection bid for Congress and ended up winning with 62% of the vote in his sprawling 2nd Congressional District.
Just over 53% of Tallahatchie County’s registered voters cast a ballot Tuesday, continuing what has been a steady decline in voter participation in recent presidential election cycles.
In 2020, 59% of registered Tallahatchie County voters cast a ballot in the general election, down from 62% in 2016 and 72% in 2012.
The Tallahatchie County Election Commission was to convene at 10 a.m. Wednesday to consider 38 affidavit ballots.
Three photo affidavit ballots were cast Tuesday, and those voters have five days to produce their photo ID or their ballot will be disqualified.
A total of 43 absentee ballots were mailed to voters but not received back by Election Day. As long as they were postmarked by Nov. 5 and are received in the circuit clerk’s office within five business days, they will be counted.
