Circuit clerk avoids runoff after provisional ballots are counted

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One Baldwin County elected official avoided a runoff race Tuesday as provisional ballots were counted in Bay Minette.

Baldwin County Circuit Clerk Jody Wise Campbell fended off a possible runoff from challenger Mark Stejskal, retaining the 50.05 percent of the vote she garnered in the initial results even after the provisional ballots were certified.

Baldwin County had 100 provisional ballots that were deemed valid, and county elections officials spent several hours tallying those votes for the certified count.

Campbell picked up an additional 38 votes, Stejskal got 26 more votes and candidate Pam Forbes received an additional 14 votes.

Campbell left the elections office shortly after the final tally was reached, but had time for a quick comment to the Baldwin Times.

“I’m relieved,” Campbell said.

In other Baldwin County races, the provisional ballots cast were:

- In the State Senate District 32 race, Baldwin County Commissioner Chris Elliott received 26 votes, dentist David Northcutt received 20 votes, Orange Beach Councilman Jeff Boyd got 15 votes and former state legislator Bill Roberts received 7 votes. Elliott and Northcutt will face one another in the July 17 runoff.

- In the Baldwin County District Court race, incumbent Bill Scully got 44 votes to challenger Brian Dasinger’s 22 votes. Scully had already cleared the threshold to win the Republican nomination before the provisional votes were counted and faces no opposition in the general election.

- In the Baldwin County Probate Judge race, attorney Alan Lipscomb received 24 votes, private investigator Max Hansen received 14 votes, attorneys Harry D’Olive and Lynn Perry each got 13 votes and former law enforcement officer Matt McKenzie got 10 votes. D’Olive and Lipscomb will face one another in the July 17 runoff.

- In the Baldwin County Commission District 1 race, challenger Jeb Ball received 39 votes to incumbent Frank Burt’s 34 votes. Ball had already been declared the winner of that election and faces no opposition in the Nov. election.

- In the Baldwin County Commission District 2 race, Daphne Councilman Joe Davis got 44 votes to former Daphne councilman John Lake’s 28 votes. Davis was already declared the winner of that election and will face Democrat Amber Smith in November.

- In the Baldwin County Commission District 3 race, challenger Billie Jo Underwood garnered 37 additional votes, incumbent Tucker Dorsey got 32 votes and Will McDaniel received 7 votes. Dorsey and Underwood will face one another in the July 17 runoff, with the winner going on to face Democrat Heather Brown in November.

- In the Baldwin County Commission District 4 race, incumbent Skip Gruber got 43 more votes to Orange Beach Councilman Jerry Johnson’s 31 votes. Gruber had already been declared the winner and faces no opposition in November.