With the general election a few months away, tens of thousands of Alachua County residents cast their votes Aug. 14 in this year’s primary election.
Out of the 152,746 registered voters in the county, 34,632, or 22.67 percent, cast ballots for local, state and congressional races.
The percent of voters who came to the polls hovered in the high-20 percents on both sides of the political aisle. Republican races in Alachua County saw a 29 percent turnout with 12,814 registered residents voting. In the Democratic race, turnout was 26.3 percent with 19,946 voters going to the polls, Election Chief Deputy Will Boyett said.
These elections were bumped up from the end of August to Aug. 14 because the state Legislature wanted to make sure the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Tampa, wouldn’t get in the way of the primary elections, among other reasons, said Supervisor of Elections Pam Carpenter.
Voter turnout countrywide showed a 0.5 percent increase from 2010’s primary election.
In the Republican race for the Alachua County Commission District 1 seat, John Martin pulled ahead of Kevin Riordan and Brandon Kutner with 5,135 votes to win the spot. Current Commissioner Mike Byerly won against Roberta Lopez with 11,217 votes to clinch the Democratic county commission race.
Martin and Byerly will face off for the District 1 seat in the Nov. 6 general election.
For the Alachua County School Board District 4 seat, candidate Leanetta McNealy and incumbent Barbara Sharpe received 12,493 and 10,864 votes respectively. Because the school board election is nonpartisan, Sharpe or McNealy needs 50 percent or more of the votes to claim the seat. A runoff election will be held in November.
Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson and Ken Cornell went head to head for the Democratic County Commission District 3 seat. Hutchinson won with 11,150 votes, and he will face former County Commissioner Jean Calderwood in November.
Ted Yoho, a Gainesville veterinarian and Tea Party member, defeated U.S. Rep. Clifford Stearns with 5,406 votes, or 45.51 percent, in the U.S. Congressional District 3 election. Stearns, a 20-year Congress veteran, conceded to Yoho on Aug. 15.
For the second time in two elections, Ed Crapo defeated Alonzo V. Perkins for the Alachua County property appraiser position. Crapo secured another four-year term.
In the race for U.S. Senator, Connie Mack won the Republican vote with 661,341 votes statewide over Mike McCalister, Marielena Stuart and Dave Weldon. In Alachua County, Mack took 7,462 votes, or 62.91 percent. For the Democratic race, incumbent Bill Nelson defeated Glenn A. Burkett with 698,886 votes statewide. Countywide, Nelson pulled 80.05 percent, or 15,502, of the votes.
For winners of the Republican and Democratic races, the fight isn’t over yet. Candidates will begin to campaign for the upcoming Nov. 6 general election.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
