The runoff election for Clayton County’s next sheriff is now over and interim sheriff Levon Allen is the winner. Allen was victorious over challenger Clarence Cox by just 266 votes. Allen garnered 51% of the votes after receiving less than 50% during the special election.
Allen kept a steady, if not small advantage over Cox throughout the night.
| Candidate | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Levon Allen (I) | 50.88% | 7,716 |
| Clarence Cox | 49.12% | 7,450 |
With only 10% of the precincts counted Allen was ahead by just 630 votes (4,414-3,784), according to an online Fox 5 election night counter. With just over 50% of the precincts counted at 9:30 p.m., two and a half hours after the polls closed Allen’s lead had shrunk to 405 votes (6,184-5,779).
Less than 10% voter turnout
During the special election in March there were a total of just over 15,000 total votes cast, or just over 5% voter turnout. There was a similar amount of votes cast this time around as well. By 10 p.m. 100% of the precincts were counted for a grand total of 15,166 votes counted. That is once again less than 10% voter turnout for the fifth largest county in the state.
Clayton County has over 200,000 registered voters, according to GeorgiaVites.com.
Allen received 47% of the vote during the Tuesday, March 21 special election for sheriff. His closest competitor Clarence Cox finished second with 29% of the vote, forcing a Tuesday, April 18 runoff election.
With a quarter of the vote counted Allen led Cox by more than 2,400 votes (5,605 to 3,183). With just over half the vote reported at 9 p.m. Allen’s advantage remained around 2,300 votes over Cox. Chris Storey was in third having garnered 16% of the vote for 2,129 total votes, according to an online Fox 5 election night counter.