It took an unusually long time for the Alamance Board of Elections to post election results Tuesday night. The first returns weren’t posted until almost three hours after the polls closed at 7:30. Then there weren’t any additional results for almost another two hours when all 39 precincts were suddenly listed.
But once the results were in, the pattern was clear. Republicans swept all local races – preserving all three seats on the board of county commissioners, re-electing the Republican legislative delegation, and electing all three Republican judicial candidates seeking district court judgeships.
A glimmer of success for Democrats was on the ostensibly non-partisan school board, where two Democrats, endorsed by the local Democratic Party, managed to secure two of the four available seats.
ABSS school board
Board chairman Sandy Ellington-Graves was the leading vote-getter with 38,125 votes in her quest for a second term; Avery Wagoner who first ran unsuccessfully in 2022 was second with 36,532 votes; Democrat Seneca Rogers, who was appointed earlier this year to a vacancy on the board after having lost races in 2020 and 2022, was third and close behind at 36,382 votes; the final winner was Democrat Tameka Harvey with 33,961 votes.
Defeated for a second term on the board was ABSS vice chairman Donna Davis Westbrooks, who placed seventh out of the eight candidates on the ballot with 27,362 votes.
Also falling short were Corrie Shepherd and Peter Morcombe, both endorsed by the Republican Party, with 30,505 and 29,550 votes, respectively.
Tara Raggett, who did not appear to conduct an active campaign for school board, placed eighth, with 14,335 votes.
County commissioners
In the contest for Alamance County commissioner, the three Republicans (two incumbents and one newcomer) appeared to be elected, based on unofficial election-night returns.
Leading the race for county commissioner was Pamela Tyler Thompson, who was seeking her second term on the board. She led with 43,937 votes; incumbent board chairman John Paisley, Jr. was second with 43,363; and newcomer Ed Priola with 42,103 placed third. Current incumbent Bill Lashley did not seek re-election.
The three Democrats trailed, with former Green Level mayor Carissa Graves leading the opposition with 39,273 votes; Anthony Pierce, who fell short two years ago, placed fourth with 37,199 votes; newcomer Chris Smith was sixth with 36,465.
District court judges
In each of the three contested district court judgeships, Republican contenders bested their Democratic opponents, who included two judges appointed to the bench earlier this year by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.
Incumbent Republican county commissioner Craig Turner beat Democrat Doug Green, who was appointed to his district court seat in February, by 46,416 to 40,650, or 53.31 percent to 46.69 percent.
Turner’s success will also open an appointment for the remaining two years of his county commissioner term. The Republican Executive Committee of the Alamance County GOP will be responsible for meeting to name a successor, who the remaining commissioners are obligated, under state law, to appoint to fill Turner’s term.
Also causing a ripple effect was the success of current clerk of court Meredith Tuck Edwards who was successful in her bid for a new, fifth district court judgeship, established by the General Assembly last year. Edwards beat attorney Natalie R. Jones by 48,141 to 38,648 (55.47 to 44.53 percent).
In the race for the two years remaining on former district court judge Brad Allen’s term, Republican Bryan Ray defeated Democrat R. Bryan Norris, Jr. by 46,150 to 40,277 (or 53.40 percent to 46.60 percent). Norris had been appointed by Governor Cooper in April.
Immediate speculation focused on whether Governor Cooper will consider either of the two district court Democrats who he had appointed earlier this year who were defeated Tuesday, Green or Norris, to a vacant superior court judgeship caused by the recent retirement of senior resident superior court judge Tom Lambeth.
Meanwhile, the county’s new senior resident superior court judge, Andy Hanford, will be responsible to name Edwards’ replacement as clerk of court, to serve out the remaining two years of her term.
General Assembly
In the race for two state house seats, both incumbents Stephen Ross and Dennis Riddell won in their respective districts, numbers 63 and 64.
The districts had been reconfigured significantly by the General Assembly since the 2022 elections.
Ross beat Robin Wintringham 23,682 votes to 19,276 (55.13 percent to 44.87 percent) in district 63.
Riddell beat first-time Democratic candidate LeVon Barnes 24,381 to 19,990 votes (54.95 percent to45.05 percent).
Meanwhile, Republican state senator Amy Scott Galey, whose district includes all of Alamance County and a sliver of Randolph County, outpolled Democrat Donna Vanhook, by an even wider margin, 67,098 votes to 44,097 (60.34 percent to 39.66 percent).
Those with no challengers
Other local office-holders who faced no challengers were Republican register of deeds David Barber and Democratic district court judges Kathryn Whitaker “Katie” Overby, the county’s chief district court judge, and Larry Brown, Jr.
Burlington bonds
Residents in Burlington narrowly approved a $47 million bond referendum for recreation and parks by 244 votes, 12,354 in favor to 12,110 opposed (50.50 percent to 49.50 percent). Approval carries with it a $34.00 per year tax increase for every $100,000 of valuation.
Meanwhile, the second, smaller bond package, for $21.5 million for street and sidewalk improvement bonds, passed 14,080 to 10,420 (57.47 percent to 42.53 percent). The approval carries with it a $23.00 per $100,000 tax increase.
All election totals are based on unofficial election-night returns. They do not yet include provisional ballots and certain other ballots, such as curbside and certain military and overseas mail-in ballots, all of which will be reviewed by the local board of elections and added to the totals over the next week.
