Baldwin County Turnout Hits 40% as Tuberville Wins Governor and All Four Amendments Pass

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Baldwin County voters turned out at a rate of 40.08% in the Nov. 3 general election, with 86,040 ballots cast among 214,658 registered voters, according to unofficial election-night figures posted by the Baldwin County Probate Judge’s office through the Alabama Secretary of State. All of the county’s voting boxes had reported when the numbers were last updated at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Statewide, the Secretary of State’s site showed turnout of about 44% (43.96% as of Wednesday morning), with all 67 counties reporting. Results remain unofficial until they are certified.

How Baldwin County voted

Baldwin was one of the most heavily Republican counties in the state in the contests that appeared on every ballot. In the governor’s race, Republican Tommy Tuberville received 59,310 votes (69.28%) to 26,005 (30.38%) for Democrat Doug Jones. There were 288 write-in votes.

The other top-of-the-ticket results in Baldwin County, from the same county tally, were:

• Lieutenant governor: John Wahl (R) 61,490 (71.90%); Phillip Ensler (D) 23,966 (28.02%).
• U.S. Senate: Barry Moore (R) 61,735 (72.14%); Everett Wess (D) 23,756 (27.76%).
• U.S. House, 1st District: Jerry Carl (R) 61,647 (72.09%); Clyde Jones (D) 23,784 (27.81%).
• Attorney general: Katherine Robertson (R) 62,265 (72.92%); Jeff McLaughlin (D) 23,064 (27.01%).
• Secretary of state: Caroleene Dobson (R) 61,775 (72.60%); Wayne Rogers (D) 23,273 (27.35%).
• State treasurer: Young Boozer (R) 61,938 (72.78%); Rosilyn Houston (D) 23,131 (27.18%).
• State auditor: Andrew Sorrell (R) 61,969 (73.01%); Violet Edwards (D) 22,868 (26.94%).
• Alabama Supreme Court, Place 8: Greg Shaw (R) 61,196 (72.12%); Ashleigh Meyer Dunham (D) 23,601 (27.82%).
• Alabama Supreme Court, Place 7: Brad Mendheim (R), unopposed, 64,692 votes (98.04%), with 1,290 write-in votes.

Baldwin’s own local contests were largely settled earlier. As South AL News reported on election night, the county’s local races were decided in the primary or left without Democratic opposition after withdrawals, so the contested races on Baldwin ballots were statewide, federal and legislative. Voters also saw four statewide constitutional amendments, whose results are below. Earlier election-night coverage of the partial returns is in South AL News’ returns story, and the pre-election contests are laid out in the Nov. 3 ballot guide for Mobile and Baldwin.

Statewide: Tuberville wins the governor’s race

Statewide, the Secretary of State’s site showed Tuberville with 872,561 votes (51.79%) to Jones’s 806,253 (47.86%), with 5,921 write-in votes (0.35%). Tuberville, the sitting U.S. senator, succeeds Gov. Kay Ivey, who could not seek another term. Jones did not concede on election night, and WVTM-TV reported that he conceded Wednesday after Tuberville was declared the winner.

Other statewide results from the Secretary of State’s figures, which shifted slightly as the last votes were counted:

• Lieutenant governor: Wahl 54.29% (910,795 votes); Ensler 45.61% (765,131).
• U.S. Senate: Moore 54.68% (917,344); Wess 45.20% (758,397). The seat is being vacated by Tuberville.
• Attorney general: Robertson 55.00% (919,903); McLaughlin 45.00% (753,384).
• Secretary of state: Dobson 56.12% (938,110); Rogers 43.76% (731,452).
• State auditor: Sorrell 55.20% (918,156); Edwards 44.80% (744,567).
• Agriculture and industries commissioner: Corey Hill (R) 54.10% (901,282); Ron Sparks (D) 45.90% (764,396).
• Public Service Commission, Place 1: Matt Gentry (R) 55.85%; James O. Gordon (D) 44.02%.
• Public Service Commission, Place 2: Jim Zeigler (R) 56.40%; Sheila D. McNeil (D) 43.48%.

In Alabama’s seven congressional districts, the results were:

• District 1: Jerry Carl (R) 59.03% (137,016); Clyde Jones (D) 40.89% (94,925).
• District 2: Shomari Figures (D) 53.67% (124,422); Rhett Marques (R) 46.18% (107,049). South AL News covered the lead-up in its look at the final push.
• District 3: Mike Rogers (R) 63.80%; Lee McInnis (D) 36.06%.
• District 4: Robert Aderholt (R) 74.80%; Amanda Pusczek (D) 25.07%.
• District 5: Dale Strong (R) 53.19%; Andrew Sneed (D) 46.70%.
• District 6: Gary Palmer (R) 57.41%; Maurice Mercer (D) 42.49%.
• District 7: Terri Sewell (D) 69.35%; Ammie Akin (R) 30.58%.

Carl’s win in the 1st District is covered in a separate story: Jerry Carl wins back the 1st District seat. In the state Senate’s District 32, which includes parts of Baldwin County, Republican Chris Elliott received 71.00% (41,916 votes) to 28.91% (17,068) for Democrat Janet Appleby.

Four constitutional amendments approved

Voters approved all four statewide constitutional amendments, according to the Secretary of State’s results:

• Amendment 1 (66% yes, 34% no) provides for a special election to fill a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor when it occurs more than 60 days before the next general election, and lets the Legislature set pay for the lieutenant governor and legislators by joint resolution.
• Amendment 2 (51% yes, 49% no) creates a process for merging neighboring county school systems after a State Board of Education study. If enough voters protest, a merger would need approval from voters in each affected county. It was the closest of the four.
• Amendment 3 (63% yes, 37% no) requires local school boards to adopt policies for a daily Pledge of Allegiance and for student-initiated, student-led prayer in public K-12 schools, with students free to opt out.
• Amendment 4 (59% yes, 41% no) requires school boards to adopt policies for broadcasting or performing the first stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at least once a week during school hours.

What happens next

The figures above come from election-night reporting by county probate judges and the Secretary of State. County canvassing boards and the state must still certify the results, and totals can change slightly in that process, for example when late absentee and provisional ballots are counted. Before Election Day, Baldwin County reported receiving 2,600 of the 3,000 absentee ballots it had issued.

Election-day problems in the county were minor. A voting machine was down at the Daphne Civic Center on Tuesday morning, though voters were still able to submit ballots. Official results are posted on the Alabama Secretary of State’s website and the Baldwin County Probate Judge’s office.