FAYETTEVILLE — Cristi Beaumont had the early lead in the race for Circuit Judge, Division 4, in Washington and Madison counties.

Washington County released early and absentee voting numbers about 8 p.m. Tuesday. Madison County released early voting numbers about an hour later.

Beaumont had 13,983 votes to Bob Lambert’s 11,306 in early and absentee voting in Washington and Madison counties.

Beaumont, 40, is a deputy public defender. Lambert, 60, is an attorney in private practice. Lambert is from Springdale. Beaumont is from Fayetteville.

The new judge will serve a six-year term and oversee the Washington/Madison County Drug Court program.

Division 4 traditionally has been randomly assigned 20 percent of civil cases and 20 percent of domestic relations cases filed in the two counties. Last year, the court handled about 1,600 cases, including about 880 civil cases and about 560 domestic relations cases. There are currently 163 drug court defendants.

Washington-Madison County Drug Court was established in 1999 with five participants and has grown to almost 1,600, and 1,029 of those graduated. The program aims to keep nonviolent, first-time drug offenders out of the court system and get them off drugs by placing them in an intensive, nine-month counseling and supervision program.

The race is a runoff. Lambert got 47.5 percent of the vote in the May 22 primary to Beaumont’s 39.5 percent. Amy Estes Turner took 13 percent of the primary vote.