While everyone in the nation is watching to see how the presidential election will play out, voters in Marion County made very clear choices in their decisions Tuesday.
Circuit Clerk Janette Nolan said this was one of the largest turnout of voters the county has ever had. There are 16,578 registered voters with 68.74% voting in this election.
President Donald Trump easily won in Marion County with 68.65% or 7,783 of the votes. Of the 22 precincts across the county, Trump won in all but five of them. The precincts within the county that former Vice President Democrat Joe Biden won were East Columbia, Hub, Jefferson Middle School, Popetown and South Columbia. Libertarian Jo Jorgensen was third in the county with 44 votes and Kanye West received 29 votes.
In the contentious race for U.S. Senator in Mississippi, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith beat Democrat Mike Espy with 65.24% of the vote. Espy carried 33.14% of the vote followed by Libertarian Jimmy L. Edwards with 1.57%. Hyde-Smith won all the local precincts except City Hall, East Columbia, Hub, Jefferson Middle School, Popetown and South Columbia.
Initiative 65 regarding medical marijuana was a close race in the county with 55.12% or 5,727 voting for either Initiative 65 or Alternative 65A and 44.88% or 4,664 voting against both. Balls Mill, Carley, Courthouse, Darbun, Goss, Morgantown, National Guard, Pittman and Union precincts all had the majority of the votes against the two.
The next part of the medical marijuana vote for either Initiative 65 or Alternative 65A was more decisive with 5,552 or 69.95% of the votes for Initiative 65. Alternative 65A only received 2,996 or 35.05%. Something interesting to note is of the 11,396 votes cast in the county, only 8,548 voters chose to participate on the second part of the measure.
Mississippi has a new state flag now after voters across the state voted overwhelmingly in favor of the new design. Statewide the new flag design received 71.3% of the votes with 60.87% or 6,831 votes in the county. The new design had the majority vote in all but two of the 82 counties in the state. George and Greene counties voted against the new design.
The only contested local race for Marion County was for District 4 Election Commissioner. Independent Stacy Reagan defeated incumbent Republican Thomas “Tommy” Rowell. Reagan received 1,360 votes or 61.57%, while Rowell received 38.34% or 847 votes.
U.S. Senator Steven M. Palazzo, Supreme Court District 2 (Southern) Position 3 Justice Mike Randolph, Election Commissioner District 1 Mike Bennett, Election Commissioner District 2 Van B. Lowry Jr., Election Commissioner District 3 Smitty D. Bracey, Election Commissioner District 5 Ada “Jackie” Hammond and County School Board District 5 member Larry Jenkins all ran unopposed.
