With Panola County absentee ballots counted and added to precinct totals, challenger Dennis Darby had outpolled incumbent Sheriff Otis Griffin Jr. by 133 votes.

The hotly contested sheriff’s race, a rematch between Darby and Griffin of a special election last year, drew the greatest number of voting totals with 13,542 voting.

The second highest vote count was recorded in the governor’s race in which 13,377 cast ballots. The races other races for county offices, chancery clerk, circuit clerk, and tax assessor and collector also attracted over 13,000 votes.

(Vote totals also include write-ins, of which there were 11 in the governor’s race, five in the sheriff’s race.)

The three amendments for the state constitution — located at the end of the ballot — each attracted almost 13,000 voters.

The Panola County Election Commission is expected to begin counting the approximately 100 affidavit ballots at 10 a.m.

Precinct and absentee totals are as follow:

Governor
Phil Bryant           7240
Johnny L. DuPree       6126

Lt. Governor
Tate Reeves           8,322
Tracella Lou O’Hara Hill   2515

Attorney General
Jim Hood             8182
Steve Simpson           4632

State Auditor
Stacey Pickering       7127
Ashley Norwood       3453

State Treasurer
Lynn Fitch           6206
Connie Moran           6071
Shawn O’Hara             463

Commissioner of Ag./Commerce
Joel Gill           6722
Cindy Hyde-Smith       5467
Cathy L. Toole             418

Commissioner of Insurance
Mike Chaney           6,794
Louis Fondren           5491
Barbara Dale Webster         427

Public Service Commissioner, Northern District
Boyce Adams           5355
Brandon Presley       7358

Transportation Commissioner, Northern District
Ray Minor           6768
Mike Tagert           5897

State Senate, District 10
Steve Hale                   8281
Vann Branch                4686

House of Representatives, District 10
Nolan Mettetal              4127
Gregg Hodges              2470

Panola County Sheriff
Dennis Darby                6835
Otis Griffin                      6702

Panola Chancery Clerk
Jim Pitcock                    6642
Michell Putman             6412

Panola Circuit Clerk
Melissa Meek-Phelps         8459
George Williford                  2,443
Karen Waldo Brown                  2258

Panola Tax Assessor and Collector
David Garner                9891
Calvin Land                   3273

Panola Justice Court Judge, District One
Mike Wilson                   2585
Butch Still                      1130
(Wilson won 70 percent, vote totals coming)                         

Panola Supervisor, District Two
Vernice Avant                1,398
Bubba Terrell                     603

Panola Supervisor, District Three
John F. Thomas       1,837
Boyce Crowell           1,124

Panola Supervisor, District Four
Kelly Morris                  1354
Wade Meek                   454
Phil Herron                     492
James Perkins              488
Mike Simon                   171

Panola Supervisor, District Five
Cole Flint                     2006
Chris Brocato                    632

South Panola School District Trustee
Odell Draper Jr.                 590
Buddy Gray                    1,164

Initiative # 26, Personhood Amendment
Yes               5050
No                 7810

Voter ID Amendment
Yes                7696
No                 5236

Eminent Domain Restriction Amendment
Yes         9480
No         3503