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Butler County voters took to the polls last Tuesday, along with the rest of the state and a sizable portion of the nation to help decide a series of local, state and national primaries.

County voters had the opportunity to decide a series of local, statewide and national races. All statistics are taken from and available on the Alabama Secretary of State website.

Local Races

Local Butler County races were present mostly on Republican ballots last Tuesday, although Democratic voters in District 2 did have the opportunity to vote for their Board of Education member.

That race was between incumbent BOE member Lois H. Robinson and challenger Carolyn Kelley Crenshaw. Crenshaw narrowly won that race with 51.34 percent or 268 votes to Robinson’s 48.66 percent or 254.

The first local race on the Republican ballot was for that party’s nomination for District Judge. Nicki Myrick McFerrin won that race with 51.62 percent or 1,788 votes versus Tim O. Craig’s 48.38 percent or 1,676 votes. McFerrin will face Democratic challenger Brandon Eugene Collins, who was unopposed, in November.

A three-way race took place for the District 1 County Commission seat on the Republican ballot. Incumbent Joey Peavy faced challenges from J. Lee Pierce and Alvin Stinson in that district.

Peavy came out on top with 56.80 percent or 610 votes, while Stinson finished second with 307 votes or 28.58 percent. Pierce finished last with 157 votes or 14.62 percent.

In the Republican race for District 3 Commissioner, Rebecca Butts received 486 votes or 53.94 percent to defeat Chad Grant, who received 415 votes or 46.06 percent. Butts will take on incumbent District 3 Commissioner Frank Hickman in November.

The District 5 Commission nomination was also at stake on Republican ballots.

Johnny Stapleton received 50.38 percent of votes, 277 total, to edge out James “Chief” Blackmon, who received 49.17 percent or 268 votes. Stapleton will now face incumbent D5 commissioner Darrell Sanders in November.

District 3 Board of Education member Brandon Sellers also faced a primary challenge from Paul A. Mitchell. Sellers won that race with 76.50 percent or 677 votes to Mitchell’s 208 votes or 23.50 percent.

Statewide Races

Democratic and Republican voters also had the opportunity to have their say in several high-profile statewide races.

Republican voters in Butler County largely favored former Attorney General Jeff Sessions among the wide field competing for that party’s U.S. Senate nomination. Sessions won 37.42 percent, 1,290 votes in Butler County, while former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville gathered 901 votes or 26.14 percent.

Bradley Byrne came in third with 807 votes for 23.41 percent.

Sessions and Tuberville will face off in a Republican run-off on March 31, and the winner of that contest will face Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in November.

Republican and Democratic voters each had the opportunity to choose their party’s nomination for District 2 U.S. Representative.

Butler County Republican voters favored Jeff Coleman in the wide field. Coleman won 1,236 votes or 36.93 percent in Butler County.

Statewide, Coleman will face off with Barry Moore in a runoff for the nomination on March 31.

Democratic voters in Butler County overwhelmingly supported Nathan Mathis for the District 2 representative nomination. Mathis received 64.84 percent, 1,230 votes, to challenger Phyllis Harvey-Hall’s 35.16 percent, 667 votes. Harvey-Hall won the nomination statewide with 59.18 percent of votes.

In the race for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Butler County voters somewhat narrowly chose Greg Shaw, who received 1,449 or 53.45 percent of votes over Cam Ward, who gathered 1,262 or 46.55 percent of ballots cast.

Shaw also won that race statewide with 58.38 percent of votes.

For Court of Civil Appeals Judge, Place 2, county Republican voters favored Matt Fridy, who received 1,239 votes for 56.11 percent. Opponent Phillip Bahakel received 969 votes, 43.89 percent. Fridy also came out on top statewide.

Butler County Republican voters were in line with their counterparts across the state in favoring Mary Windam for Court of Criminal Appeals Judge, Place 1. Windam won 75.20 percent of votes, 1,913, to opponent Melvin Hasting’s 24.80 percent, 631. 

For Court of Criminal Appeals Judge, Place 2, Republican voters in Butler County voted mostly for Beth Kellum. Kellum received 46.00 percent of votes, 1,065, while Will Smith received 32.70, 757 votes. Jull Ganus received 21.30 percent, 493 votes. Kellum and Smith will also face off on the March 31 run-off due to neither reaching the 50 percent threshold statewide.

Butler Democratic voters favored Laura Casey for that party’s nomination for President of the Public Safety Commission. Casey received 82.11 percent, 1,505 votes, versus challenger Robert L. Mardis III’s 17.89 percent, 328 votes.

Casey also won statewide.

Republican voters likewise favored the eventual statewide winner for their nomination to Public Safety Commission. Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh won 82.39 percent of local votes, 2,564, while opponent Robin Litaker garnered only 17.61 percent, 548.

Presidential Races, voter turnout

Total voter turnout for “Super Tuesday” was 40.47 percent in Butler County and 33.25 percent in Alabama.

The most prominent race on both Republican and Democratic ballots was for each party’s nomination for President.

Voters from each party in Butler County voted similarly to other Alabama voters.

Joe Biden won the most votes for the Democratic nomination in-county with 65.92 percent or 1,451 votes.

Incumbent President Donald Trump was also heavily favored by Republican voters in Butler County, taking 96.99 percent of votes, 3,387.

Statewide, Biden received 63.28 percent of votes for the Democratic nomination while Trump received 96.22 percent for the Republican nomination.

Run-off elections will be held on March 31, while the general election will be on Nov. 3.