BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Hillary Clinton nudged Democratic opponent Barack Obama in Tuesday’s Presidential Preference Primary election, while John McCain easily captured the Republican race in Baldwin County, according to unofficial results.
Clinton received 6,259 or 51.8 percent of the votes cast. Obama garnered 5,450 votes, or 45 percent.
McCain, whose campaign has gained momentum since last summer, received 13,142 votes representing 45 percent of the vote, while Mitt Romney was a distant second with 7,584 votes, or 26 percent.
Probate Judge Adrian Johns said 41,404 of the county’s 102,698 eligible registered voters cast ballots Tuesday and included a stronger than usual turnout of young voters.
“I have heard from poll inspectors across the county that more young voters were casting ballots and that is a healthy thing,” Johns said.
Poll inspector Berlin Sims said voting was steady all day at the John F. Rhodes Civic Center in Bay Minette, and included lots of young faces.
“I’ve seen young and old, people of all ages, especially more young people,” Sims said. “I believe the young are beginning to understand how important this process is.”
A few voting machine malfunctions occurred during the election, but were quickly corrected without delaying ballot casting, Johns said.
He also noted a larger than usual number of spoiled ballots due to cross voting, and delays in posting results on the Web.
Johns said data packs containing individual precinct tallies were electronically transferred without problems. But problems with Site One, a firm Johns hired to post results on the Web, caused Internet posting delays.
About 99 percent of the ballots have been unofficially counted at press time. Johns said only provisional votes are left to tally and that process is scheduled Tuesday at noon.
The Presidential Primary is slated June 3 and the July 15 run-off (second primary) election is July 15.
Complete election results, from Tuesday’s voting, including precinct-by-precinct breakdowns are available at co.baldwin.al.us. Click on Probate, then elections and follow the prompts.
