The election Tuesday ended with some close calls and narrow victories for certain campaigns.
In particular, the race for Oktibbeha County superintendent of education resulted in both candidates receiving 50 percent of the vote. WTVA News reported that Walter Conley, the incumbent, and William Self were unofficially divided by 14 votes. Conley was in the lead with 2,181 votes opposed to Self’s 2,167 votes.
Other local races such as for District 3 Justice Court judge, District 3 supervisor and Oktibbeha County chancery clerk were decided with a slight majority of the votes.
Neither Conley nor Self were available for comment by press time.
In the other close races, Alton Gillis, who was re-elected as the District 3 Justice Judge with 57 percent of the vote, said he appreciated the people who voted in the election and hoped to bring more education into the court system.
“We’re working to get more education in this court,” Gillis said. “After this term we’re working on requiring a two-year or four-year college degree for new members of this court.”
In a much closer election for the District 3 supervisor, Terry Kellum held 51 percent of the vote, placing him only 2 percent above his opponent, Marvell Howard. And in the race for the county’s chancery clerk office, Monica Banks, the current chancery clerk, held 52 percent of the vote, ahead of the 48 percent gained by Glenn Hamilton, her opponent.
As of press time no official winners of the election have been certified.
Kellum said he was waiting for the official word before he commented on this year’s election.
A member of the Oktibbeha County circuit clerk’s office said that no one was certain when the final results would be certified. The workers had worked into Wednesday night trying to count the remainder of the votes, but as of Thursday afternoon they were still trying to work everything out.