Editor’s note: Today The Times looks back on our No. 6 local story of 2016.

The campaign and eventual election of a convention-defying presidential candidate dominated the news, both locally and nationwide, throughout a long and sometimes sensational race.

And when the results were tallied on the evening of Nov. 8, there were few places — even in conservative Alabama — where Donald Trump enjoyed precinct-by-precinct margins as overwhelming as those he commanded right here in Cullman County.

The GOP victor consistently dominated 49 of Cullman County’s 50 precincts, recording percentages that hovered in the 70s and 80s at all but a small handful of the county’s voting locations. He also cruised to victory among both provisional and absentee voters.

His only loss came at Colony Town Hall where Democratic rival Hillary Clinton won 64.3 percent. 

(This story has been updated to correctly show Clinton won Colony’s precinct.)

In general, the county went heavily for the President-elect, with straight Republican Party ticket voting reaching numbers not seen since the days of the Solid South Democrats.

Overall, Trump took Cullman County with 87.2 percent of the vote. By contrast, Clinton, managed to take only 9.9 percent of the vote countywide.

Trump surpassed 90 percent of the vote at 12 Cullman County precincts, including the Holly Pond Fire Department, Bremen Fire Department, Baileyton Senior Center, Dodge City Town Hall, New Canaan Senior Center, Baldwin Community Center, West Point Community Center, Arkadelphia Fire Department, Logan Fire Department, Grandview Community Center, Simcoe Community Center and Cold Springs Community center.

Trump dipped beneath 80 percent in only two other Cullman County precincts: Moody Town Union Hill Church (78.57 percent) and in the precinct comprised of absentee votes (79.94 percent).

In the City of Cullman, Trump saw big numbers. He took 83.25 percent of the vote at the Cullman Civic Center; 84.02 percent at the Cullman County Office Building; 82.27 percent at Cullman City Hall and 86.43 percent at the Cullman County Courthouse.

Cullman County saw heavy voter turnout in this year’s general election. Sixty-eight percent, or 38,032 of all registered voters, cast ballots on Nov. 8. Of that number, 88.7 percent of them voted a straight Republican ticket — a record high.

Trump took all nine of Alabama’s electoral votes, with the state’s delegation of electoral voters officially casting their ballots in favor of the President-elect last Monday at a ceremony in Montgomery.

(Year in review No. 7) Jacobs edges two-term Townson in mayor’s race