Top of ballot not top interest

In an election supposedly heated by the top of the ballot where an incumbent U. S. Senator and Lieutenant Governor slugged it out for a runoff in a three-way race, Hempstead and Nevada counties voters paid more attention to local races; but, the numbers in Tuesday's primary elections reflected less than 50 percent turnout among registered voters.

In Hempstead County, a total of 4,117 ballots were cast, or 37.8 percent of the 10,884 registered voters in the county. Among those votes, 3.865 were in the Democrat primary, while 242 were Republican voters, and 10 voters ignored both, but cast votes in the two non-partisan judicial elections on the ballot.

In Nevada County, approximately 1,830 Democrats voted, along with some 79 GOP voters.

But, the marquee race between U. S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, and D. C. Morrison failed to draw the most votes in either county. In Hempstead County, the three way race for prosecuting attorney tallied 3,820 votes, with the two-candidate sheriff's election polling 3,798 votes, and the Senate race drawing 3,743 votes.

In Nevada County, the three-way race for county judge drew 1,830 voters, while the Senate race drew 1,821 ballots and the prosecutor's race tallied 1,817 votes. Among those three races, Nevada County Judge-elect Mark Glass polled 1,178 votes, and no other contested race candidate come close to that total across the ballot.

In Hempstead County, coroner-elect Ben Brazzel garnered 2,649 votes to outpace all other candidates, with sheriff-elect James Singleton polling 2,281 votes.

Early and absentee voting played an important role in all of the countywide contested elections, providing key margins in each. For example, Brazzel received 555 early votes and 147 absentee votes to 214 early and 65 absentee ballots for former sheriff Don Worthey in the coroner's race. The closest races between the two were in Columbus and Ozan, where two votes made the difference.

Combined with strong showings in the larger Hope precincts 1D, 2A, Box 7, a 268 to 90 vote win in Spring Hill, and a 101-53 showing in Blevins, Brazzel built an early lead that he never gave up. Brazzel carried 26 of 30 boxes countywide.

The same thing held true in Singleton's win over opponent Curtis Haines in the sheriff's race. Both men polled well in early and absentee voting, but Singleton built on a 464 to 301 early vote, coupled with a 150 to 66 margin in absentee ballots to get ahead of Haines.

Polling by an average of almost 2-1 across precincts 1D, 2A in Hope, Singleton won close contests of 140 to 100 in Box 7, and 201 to 156 in Spring Hill and was bolstered by a strong showing in rural Bingen with 104 votes against 22 for Haines. Countywide, Singleton carried 22 of 30 boxes, with one tie, and Haines pulled within two votes of winning in Guernsey.

The same scenario appeared to play out for circuit clerk-elect Gail Wolfenbarger, who received 429 early and 137 absentee votes to 320 early and 72 absentee ballots cast for Anita Tompkins. Wolfenbarger ran strong only in precinct 1D and Box 7 in Hope, winning 104-79 and 140-94, respectively.

But, with the exception of a huge showing in Spring Hill of 264 to 89 for Wolfenbarger, neither candidate dominated beyond the early/absentee totals. Wolfenbarger won 13 of 30 boxes countywide, with the closest margin of seven votes in McNab.

In the three-way prosecutor's race, which will go to a runoff June 8 between chief deputy prosecutor Christi McQueen and attorney John Collins, the early/absentee vote was more evenly split, with Collins taking 343 early and 65 absentee votes, McQueen tallying 299 early and 102 absentee ballots, and attorney Mark Gunter receiving 128 early and 50 absentee votes.

Collins won by more than 2-1 in Spring Hill, with 241 votes to 105 for McQueen and 12 for Gunter. But, Collins and McQueen split the votes in the large Hope boxes 1D and Box 7, and were apart by a single vote in McNab. But, McQueen won 20 of 30 boxes in Hempstead County, with one tie with Collins, while Collins carried the remaining 10 boxes.

And, in Nevada County, McQueen dominated the early and absentee vote with 203 early and 39 absentee ballots to 114 early and 12 absentee votes for Collins and 52 early and 16 absentee votes for Gunter.

In contested races for the Hempstead County Quorum Court, Jay Lathrop won only one of eight boxes in JP District 10, defeating Todd Morris, son of the late District 10 JP Randy Morris, by 147-133. Lathrop won convincingly in Morris' home ground at Bingen by 86-44, and Morris could not overcome that loss.