March 3, 2016 (Republican, Democrat) - A shortfall of ballots seemed to be the trend for Republicans during the March 1st Primary election with voter turnout surpassing years past.
Shelby County Clerk Jennifer Fountain reported ordering extra ballots in preparation for this year's primary due to all local candidates running on the GOP party. However, Shelby County wasn't alone in its struggle with keeping up with the number of voters coming in the door. According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Republicans scramble for more ballots as GOP voter turnout ‘through the roof’.
For Shelby County, the unofficial numbers show over 2,000 more Republican ballots were cast this year than in the 2014 Primary while the Democratic ballots decreased by 143. Some Shelby County Democrats switched to vote on the Republican ticket this cycle because they were wanting to have a voice in who represented them locally.
Past Election's - Number of Voters for both parties.
2008 - Republicans (1748), Democrats (3799)
2010 - Republicans (2044), Democrats (908)
2012 - Republicans (3681), Democrats (711)
2014 - Republicans (3304), Democrats (593)
2016 - Republicans (5394), Democrats (450)
The turnover from Democrat to Republican still doesn't account for the large increase. Did the one vote difference in the Shelby County Judges race last election cycle (2014) make voters realize when it comes to county and precinct elections - every vote matters?
Regardless of the reason, precinct 3 (Sardis) had a 51% turnout of its registered voters with precinct 2 (Excelsior) not far behind with a 45% turnout. Below are the voter turnout numbers for each precinct.
- 3 Sardis has 285 registered voters and 144 voted for a 51% turnout for the precinct
- 2 Excelsior has 788 registered voters and 356 voted for a 45% turnout for the precinct
- 1SW Center has 1227 registered voters and 540 voted for a 44% turnout for the precinct
- 5 Joaquin has 2024 registered voters and 892 voted for a 44% turnout for the precinct
- 1N Center has 1355 registered voters and 535 voted for a 39% turnout for the precinct
- 1W Center has 393 registered voters and 153 voted for a 39% turnout for the precinct
- 6 Dreka has 510 registered voters and 200 voted for a 39% turnout for the precinct
- 8 Tenaha has 1119 registered voters and 421 voted for a 38% turnout for the precinct
- 4 Huxley has 750 registered voters and 269 voted for a 36% turnout for the precinct
- 9S Timpson has 1001 registered voters and 364 voted for a 36% turnout for the precinct
- 1S Center has 1695 registered voters and 588 voted for a 35% turnout for the precinct
- 9N Timpson has 1137 registered voters and 399 voted for a 35% turnout for the precinct
- 7 Shelbyville has 800 registered voters and 258 voted for a 32% turnout for the precinct
- 1SE Center has 1614 registered voters and 275 voted for a 17% turnout for the precinct
County Clerk Fountain was thankful for the large voter turnout even though it presented a challenge and felt appreciative for the extra help given by volunteers. She had received reports from clerks from other counties who didn't have election results until well into the morning.
