Election returns show Kilpatrick’s sweep, Graves’ narrow victory

Published 5:00 am Thursday, November 6, 2014

Returns from Tuesday’s general election reveal how the two Republican candidates for Cullman County Coroner and District 6 school board representative won their races against more experienced Democratic opponents.

Deputy Coroner Jeremy Kilpatrick, 31, swept 47 of 50 boxes in his race against former four-time coroner Gary Murphree. Kilpatrick, a paramedic, finished with 11, 913 votes (59.38 percent) while Murphree had 8,139 votes (40.57 percent).

Kirkpatrick’s biggest margins of victory came with the Holly Pond Fire Department, Crane Hill Fire Department and Cullman Civic Center precincts where he got 352, 220 and 202 more votes than Murphree respectively.

Murphree, 66, won Moody Town Union Hill Church, Colony Town Hall and Kelley Community Center. He just missed taking the Cullman County Public Office Building, Cullman County Health Department and Bolte-White Grove Church by 8, 5 and 10 votes respectively.

In the school board race, Vinemont Fire Chief Mike Graves narrowly beat incumbent Democrat Randy Hasenbein who was seeking his fourth term. Graves won 951 to Hasenbein’s 873. Hasenbein, the county’s lone remaining Democrat, fell just 78 votes short.

Graves won two of three boxes, the Vinemont and Providence fire departments, while Hasenbein won Kelley Community Center. Both candidates had 20 absentee votes each.

Graves won the Vinemont Fire Department, 430 to Hasenbein’s 349 and the Providence Fire Department, 227 to Hasenbein’s 211. Hasenbein won the Kelley Community Center, 293 to Graves’ 274.

Cullman County Probate Judge Tammy Brown, the chief election official, said voter turnout hovered around 30 percent, with 20,495 votes cast Tuesday. There are approximately 50,000 registered voters in the county.

“More people did come out to vote than we expected,” she said. “From what I heard at the polling places I visited, there was a lot of interest in the governor and attorney general races.”

Brown also commended poll workers and inspectors for their tireless work at the voting precincts and later getting the returns in at the courthouse.

“We couldn’t have the fair and honest elections we have here in Cullman County without them,” she said.

The probate office evaluated write-in votes Wednesday and was expected to release those today. The board of registrars is reviewing provisional ballots and those will be opened Wednesday for certification.

Tiffeny Owens can be reached by email at towens@cullmantimes.com or by phone at 256-734-2131.