JONESBORO -- Voters elected two new sheriffs and a county judge along with dozens of municipal positions during runoff elections Tuesday in 25 Arkansas counties.
"I'm overwhelmed," said Randy Shores after learning he had defeated incumbent Scott County Sheriff Terry Staggs. Shores received 1,039 votes while Staggs, who has been the sheriff for 17 years, received 539.
In Hot Spring County, Mike Cash outpolled Woody Perry, 1,773 votes to 831, to win the runoff election for sheriff.
Gene Moore won his bid as county judge in Sharp County. Larry Brown did not seek re-election for the position.
[RESULTS: Find complete results for runoff races here]
Twenty percent of the county's registered voters cast ballots in the runoff. Four years ago, according to the secretary of state's office, 2.98 percent of Sharp County's registered voters cast ballots in the runoff election.
In 2012, 4.12 percent of the state's registered voters participated in runoff elections, the secretary of state's website reported.
"We worked hard to get people out," Moore said. "It paid off."
Moore took over as the county's Office of Emergency Management coordinator in January of 2008. A month later, the county was hit by an EF4 tornado that damaged scores of businesses in Highland. A year later, an ice storm hit, knocking out power for weeks.
"I've worked with the county for years," he said.
Moore said he will meet with justices of the peace after he's sworn in Jan. 1 to talk about his plans for next year. He'll also meet with Brown in the coming weeks to help make a smooth administrative transition.
County Clerk Barbara Whiteley said voter turnout was better than expected in Scott County.
"We had a very good turnout," she said. "I think our two races really brought them out to vote."
In addition to the sheriff's race, voters chose Tommy Roberson over incumbent Justice of the Peace Albert Rogers in District 6.
"You never know what the people want," Whiteley said.
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Shores, who has owned a cattle business for 21 years, said he will meet with deputies.
"I'll have to evaluate the employees to see if they are in the right spots," he said.
Dwight England won his bid for re-election to the Trumann City Council by one vote. England, who will begin his second term on the council in January, defeated former Trumann Mayor Shelia Walters, 94-93.
Walters did not seek re-election as mayor but ran for the City Council instead.
"Every vote really does count," England said Wednesday.
"They counted the results three times to make sure," he said.
Poinsett County deputy clerks had some problems tallying Tuesday's results. A clerk said a computer program didn't add all the votes correctly and each time they recounted, Walters gained votes.
"It was close," England said. "It kept getting closer."
England said he went house to house during the three weeks between the general election and Tuesday's runoff to meet voters. His grandson and daughter-in-law and "a bunch of others" helped get the vote out, he said.
England was unopposed in his first bid for the council in 2014.
"I thought it wasn't a very good turnout, but I'll take it," he said.
State Desk on 12/01/2016