County residents show support for Republicans at polls
Published 2:29 am Wednesday, November 7, 2012
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Shelby County residents showed their support for the Republican Party Nov. 6.
Republican candidates won all four of the county’s contested races. Provisional ballots will be counted next week, but the available numbers represent 98.68 percent of the ballots cast in Shelby County on Tuesday night.
While President Barack Obama was announced as the winner of the presidential race by national news outlets on Tuesday night, Shelby County residents came out strong for Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
Romney received 71,243 votes or 77.07 percent of the ballots cast, while Obama received 19,944 votes or 21.58 percent.
Independent challengers Virgil H. Goode Jr., Gary Johnson and Jill Stein received .13, .78 and .18 percent, respectively. Shelby County residents also cast 233 write-in votes, so write-in candidates garnered .25 percent of the ballots cast.
In the race to represent the 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, incumbent Republican Spencer Bachus received 66,759 votes or 73.59 percent, while challenger Penny “Colonel” Bailey received 23,753 votes or 26.18 percent in Shelby County.
In state races:
• Shelby County voters chose incumbent Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore with 57,506 votes or 63.22 percent. Challenger Bob Vance, a Democrat, received 33,345 votes or 36.66 percent.
• Public Service Commission President Lucy Baxley, a Democrat, lost Shelby County to challenger Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh in Shelby County. Baxley received 24,408 votes, or 27.31 percent, while Cavanaugh received 64,815, or 72.51 percent.
Shelby County voters also had a chance to vote on 11 statewide amendments on Tuesday’s ballot.
• Shelby County residents voted in favor of Amendment One, 74 to 26 percent. Amendment One would reauthorize the Forever Wild Land Trust for 20 years.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment Two, 67 to 33 percent. Amendment Two would allow the state to issue general obligation bonds to attract job-creating industries.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment Three, 73.5 to 26.5 percent. Amendment Three would define the Stockton Landmark District in Baldwin County.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment Four, 54 to 46 percent. Amendment Four would repeal references relating to separation of schools by race and relating to a poll tax levied against black voters.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment Five, 72 to 28 percent. Amendment Five would provide for the transfer of Water Works assets from the city of Pritchard to the city of Mobile.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment Six, 72.4 to 27.6 percent. Amendment Six would prohibit anyone from being forced to participate in a health care system.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment Seven, 80 to 20 percent. Amendment Seven preserves secret ballot election for all voters, especially unionized employees.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment Eight, 80.6 to 19.4 percent. Amendment Eight would repeal the 62-percent pay raise for lawmakers and tie pay to state median household income.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment Nine, 55.4 to 44.6 percent. Amendment Nine would allow the legislature to impose business privilege tax on corporations.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment 10, 53.1 to 46.9 percent. Amendment 10 relates to the Legislature’s authority concerning banking.
• Shelby County residents voted for Amendment 11, 72.2 to 27.8 percent. Amendment 11 prohibits any municipality outside of Lawrence County from imposing municipal ordinances inside the county.