By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

Shelby County voters will have a chance to make the final determination in a pair of local political races on Tuesday, April 12, after the two races went to a runoff following the March 1 primary.

Polls will be open throughout the county on April 12 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., and will feature the Shelby County circuit judge race and the District 4 County Commission race.

Both races, which originally featured three candidates apiece, went to a runoff after no candidates were able to get a majority of the votes during the March 1 primary.

The Circuit Court judge race will feature candidates Lara Alvis and Patrick Kennedy, who earned 45 percent and 39 percent of the votes, respectively, in the primary.

In the Shelby County Commission District 4 race, candidates Ron Griggs and Ward Williams will face off for the seat.

In the March 1 primary, Griggs earned 38.59 percent of the vote, while Williams earned 32.29 percent of the vote.

The March 1 primary election saw a significant increase in voter turnout compared to previous years.

Of the 128,374 registered voters in Shelby County, 63,967 voted in the March 1 primary, leading to a nearly 50 percent voter turnout.

The nearly 50 percent voter turnout was much higher than it was during the June 3, 2014 primary election. Then, only 28,270 of the 121, 263 registered voters cast their ballots, leading to a 23 percent voter turnout number.