Doris Sharp easily won her bid to unseat incumbent Wayne Gearhart on Tuesday in the Democratic runoff for the Randolph County justice of the peace District 5 position.
Sharp was to face another opponent in the runoff, but a provisional ballot changed her opponent a week after the primary election was held last month.
Complete but unofficial results are:
Doris Sharp . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
Wayne Gearhart . . . . . . . . . .28
"I feel great," Sharp said Tuesday. "I did a lot of campaigning these past few weeks."
Sharp, who is retiring as a clerk in the Randolph County treasurer's office in July, received 81 votes in the May 20 primary but failed to avoid a runoff by seven votes. When votes were counted that night, challenger Danny Ballard received 43 votes and Gearhart finished third with 42.
The county clerk's office, however, accepted a provisional ballot from a voter who failed to provide photographic identification when voting in the primary. State law provides voters a week to present identification for ballots to be received and tabulated.
The ballot cast a vote for Gearhart that placed Gearhart and Ballard in a tie. Randolph County Election Commission members placed the names of Gearhart and Ballard in a container and held a drawing. Gearhart's name was chosen, placing him in the runoff against Sharp.
"I got a lot of people involved and got them out to vote," Sharp said of her runoff victory.
There is no Republican challenger.
State Desk on 06/11/2014