Shelby County Today

March 3, 2020 - Election day voting time is over and ballots have been counted! Three races will be in the May 26th Primary Runoff Election - Sheriff, Commissioner Pct 3, and Justice of the Peace Pct 3 - since none of the candidates in these races received over 50% of the votes.

The candidates who will be in the Sheriff's Runoff race are Newton Johnson, Jr. with 22% and Kevin Windham with 30% of the votes. In the County Commissioner Pct 3 race the runoff will be between Stevie Smith who got 44% of the votes and David Cheatwood who received 41%. Justice of the Peace Pct 3 is the final race which will be in the runoffs with Melba Rodgers at 42% and Darrell Alford at 29%.

In the Shelby County District Attorney's race, Karren Price received 58% of the votes defeating incumbant Stephen Shires.

In the County Constable Pct 5 race, Josh Tipton's 76% of votes beat out incumbent Robert Hairgrove's 24%.

All the propositions on the Democrat and Republican ballots passed with more "yes" votes than "no."

Election results are below.

Election statistics

Registered Voters (Total) - 15,340
Ballots Cast (Total) - 5,988
Ballots Cast (Republican Party) - 5,530
Ballots Cast (Democratic Party) - 458

Click here to go straight to Local Races (District Judge, District Attorney, and all County Races)

Unofficial Shelby County Republican Election Results

Unofficial Shelby County Democratic Election Results

REPUBLICAN BALLOT PROPOSITIONS
Proposition 1
Texas should not restrict or prohibit prayer in public schools.
Yes - 4,398
No - 869

Proposition 2
Texas should reject restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms.
Yes - 4,434
No - 813

Proposition 3
Texas should ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying, which allows your tax dollars to be spent on lobbyists who work against the taxpayer.
Yes - 4,899
No - 322

Proposition 4
Texas should support the construction of a physical barrier and use existing defense-grade surveillance equipment along the entire southern border of Texas.
Yes - 4,878
No - 355

Proposition 5
Texas parents or legal guardians of public school children under the age of 18 should be the sole decision makers for all their children’s healthcare decisions including, but not limited to, psychological assessment and treatment, contraception, and sex education.
Yes - 4,795
No - 388

Proposition 6
Texas should ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and genital mutilation surgery on all minor children for transition purposes, given that Texas children as young as three (3) are being transitioned from their biological sex to the opposite sex.
Yes - 4,972
No - 263

Proposition 7
Texans should protect and preserve all historical monuments, artifacts, and buildings, such as the Alamo Cenotaph and our beloved Alamo, and should oppose any reimaging of the Alamo site.
Yes - 5,167
No - 96

Proposition 8
Texas election officials should heed the directives of the Office of the Governor to purge illegal voters from the voter rolls and verify that each new registered voter is a U.S. Citizen.
Yes - 5,118
No - 113

Proposition 9
Bail in Texas should be based only on a person’s danger to society and risk of flight, not that person’s ability to pay.
Yes - 4,999
No - 239

Proposition 10
Texas should limit our state legislators’ terms to 12 years.
Yes - 4,655
No - 480

DEMOCRAT BALLOT PROPOSITIONS

Proposition #1
Right to Healthcare: Should everyone in Texas have a right to quality healthcare, protected by a universally accessible Medicare-style system that saves rural hospitals, reduces the cost of prescription drugs, and guarantees access to reproductive healthcare?
Yes - 390
No - 14

Proposition #2
Right to a 21st Century Public Education: Should everyone in Texas have the right to high-quality public education from pre-k to 12th grade, and affordable college and career training without the burden of crushing student loan debt?
Yes - 376
No - 21

Proposition #3
Right to Clean Air, Safe Water, and a Responsible Climate Policy: Should everyone in Texas have the right to clean air, safe water, affordable and sustainable alternative energy sources, and a responsible climate policy that recognizes and addresses the climate crisis as a real and serious threat that impacts every aspect of life on this planet?
Yes - 397
No - 6

Proposition #4
Right to Economic Security: Should everyone in Texas have the right to economic security, where all workers have earned paid family and sick leave, training to prepare for future economies, and a living wage that respects their hard work?
Yes - 386
No - 12

Proposition #5
Right to Dignity & Respect: Should everyone in Texas have the right to a life of dignity and respect, free from discrimination and harassment anywhere, including businesses and public facilities, no matter how they identify, the color of their skin, whom they love, socioeconomic status, disability status, housing status, or from where they come?
Yes - 391
No - 11

Proposition #6
Right to Be Free from Violence:
Should everyone in Texas have the right to live a life free from violence – gun violence, racial hatred, terrorism, domestic violence, bullying, harassment or sexual assault – so Texans can grow in a safe environment?
Yes - 389
No - 12

Proposition #7
Right to Housing: Should everyone in Texas have the right to affordable and accessible housing and modern utilities (electricity, water, gas, and high-speed internet) free from any form of discrimination?
Yes - 380
No - 17

Proposition #8
Right to Vote: Should every eligible Texan have the right to vote, made easier by automatic voter registration, the option to vote by mail, guaranteed early and mobile voting stations, and a state election holiday – free from corporate campaign influence, foreign and domestic interference, and gerrymandering?
Yes - 385
No - 13

Proposition #9
Right to a Fair Criminal Justice System: Should everyone in Texas have the right to a fair criminal justice system that treats people equally, uses proven methods for de- escalating situations instead of excessive force, and puts an end to the mass and disproportionate incarceration of people of color for minor offenses?
Yes - 388
No - 14

Proposition #10
Immigrant Rights: Should there be a just and fair comprehensive immigration reform solution that includes an earned path to citizenship for law-abiding immigrants and their children, keeps families together, protects DREAMers, and provides workforce solutions for businesses?
Yes - 369
No - 29

Proposition #11
Right to Fair Taxation: Should Texas establish equitable taxation for people at all income levels and for businesses and corporations, large and small, so our state government can fund our educational, social, infrastructure, business, and all government services to improve programs necessary for all Texans to thrive?
Yes - 361
No - 36

To the registered voters of the County of Shelby, Texas:

February 26, 2020 - Notice is hereby given that the polling places listed below will be open from 7am to 7pm, March 3, 2020, for voting in the general primary election for the Republican Party to nominate Members of Congress, Members of the Legislature, and state, district, county, and precinct officers.

Locations of polling places (Click each precinct to view a sample ballot)

Precinct number - Voting location

• 1 N Center - First United Methodist Church, 211 N. Porter Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 1 SO Center - Church of Christ, 110 Hurst Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 1 SE Center - Pineywoods Family Outreach Center, 255 Haley Drive, Center, Texas 75935
• 1 SW Center - Center Community House, 423 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935
• 1 W Center - JOI Ranch, 5198 FM 2026, Tenaha, Texas 75954
• 2 Excelsior - Excelsior School, 11280 St. Hwy 7W, Center, Texas 75935
• 3 Sardis - Campti Pentecostal Church, 6153 FM 414, Center, Texas 75935
• 4 Huxley - Lydia Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 14998 FM 139, Shelbyville, Texas 75973
• 5 Joaquin - First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 175 Faulkville Road, Joaquin, Texas 75954
• 6 Dreka - Dreka Pentecostal Church Fellowship Hall, 1193 FM 2427, Shelbyville, Texas 75973
• 7 Shelbyville - First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 5030 SH 87 South, Shelbyville, Texas 75973
• 8 Tenaha - First Methodist Church - Schiede Hall, 256 N. George Bowers Drive, Tenaha, Texas 75974
• 9N Timpson - American State Bank Annex, 830 N 1st Street West, Timpson, Texas 75975
• 9S Timpson - Timpson School Gym Foyer, 836 Bear Drive, Timpson, Texas 75935

Early voting by personal appearance will be conducted each weekday at:
Center Community House, 423 San Augustine Street, Center, Texas 75935 between the hours of 8am and 4:30pm beginning on February 18, 2020 and ending February 28, 2020 including Saturday, February 22nd from 10am-2pm and Sunday, February 23rd from 12 noon-4pm.

Application for ballot by mail shall be mailed to:
Jennifer Fountain - Shelby County Clerk, P.O. Box 1987, Center, Texas 75935.
Application for ballots by mail must be received no later than the close of business on February 21, 2020.

To view political candidacy announcements submitted to Shelby County Today, click here.
***Announcements are on several pages, at the bottom of the pages are links to go to the second page of announcements.

March 2, 2020 - The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the vandalism of an ATM machine at Farmers State Bank in Shelbyville.

On February 2, 2020 at approximately 4:09am, two unknown individuals attempted to gain entry into the ATM by using a pry bar which resulted in over $10,000 of damage to the machine. The incident was captured through the banks surveillance footage.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact SCSO Investigator Mandy Fears at 936.598.5601 or Jamie Hagler, Constable Precinct 2 at 936.572.0281.

March 1, 2020 - At 2:05 pm Sunday afternoon, March 1, the Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a structure fire on County Road 3340 near the intersection of FM 2787. Firefighters from Joaquin VFD along with automatic mutual aid units from Desoto Fire District #1 arrived at 2:10 to find a single story wood frame home with heavy fire showing from three sides. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to the two bedrooms on the opposite end of the house, preserving some of the contents of those rooms. No one was home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. Firefighters returned to the station at 5:25 pm.