In a special meeting held Wednesday, Feb. 7, Hopkins County Commissioners canvassed the votes from the Jan. 30 special runoff election between Jill Dutton and Brent Money. Both candidates ran to fill the vacant District 2 seat in the Texas House of Representatives.
Dutton was named the winner and will serve the remainder of the current term. Dutton and Money will face off again at the Saturday, March 5 primary to determine who will be the Republican nominee for the seat, and the winner of that race will face Democrat Kristen Washington in the November election.
Early votes totaled 1,028, while 130 citizens voted by mail. Another 1,203 people cast their votes on the day of the election, bringing the total amount of ballots to 2,361. There was one “fleeing voter,” who accidentally took their ballot with them, so that vote was not counted, dropping the total votes cast to 2,360. Only 9.16% of registered Hopkins County voters voted in the special runoff election.
Hopkins County had 24,492 registered voters as of Jan. 30. The county’s population, according to 2022 census bureau estimates, was 37,211, up 472 from the 2020 estimate.
Dutton received 66 absentee votes, 547 votes from early voting, and 627 votes on the day of the election. Money received 61 absentee votes, 479 votes from early voting, and 455 votes on the day of the election.
Of the 178 mail ballots sent out to voters, 48 were not returned and three were not completed and surrendered.
Hopkins County Clerk Tracy Smith said voter turnout for the special election was higher than she expected, and she anticipates voter turnout for the March 5 primary to be higher.
March Primary
Early voting for the March 5 primary begins Tuesday, Feb. 20 and runs through Friday, March 1.
All county polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 5. Those locations include:
• Precinct 1 — Front foyer, Lutheran Church, 1000 Texas St., Sulphur Springs;
• Precinct 2A — H.W.
Grays Building Community Center, 413 Beckham St., Sulphur Springs;
• Precinct 3 — First floor courtroom, Hopkins County Courthouse, 118 Church St., Sulphur Springs;
• Precinct 3A — Room 101-A, Paris Junior College -Sulphur Springs Campus, 1137 Loop 301, Sulphur Springs;
• Precinct 4 — West Hall, Hopkins County Regional Civic Center, 1200 Houston St.,
Sulphur Springs;
• Precinct 4A — Front foyer, League Street Church Of Christ, 1100 South League St., Sulphur Springs;
• Precinct 5 — Ag Lab, Saltillo School, 150 County Road 3534 l Saltillo;
• Precinct 11 — City Meeting Room, Cumby Municipal Building, 100 East Main St., Cumby;
• Precinct 12 — Foyer outside gym, Sulphur Bluff ISD, 1027 County Road 3550, Sulphur Bluff;
• Precinct 13 — Art room, Como-Pickton CISD, 13017 Texas Highway 11 East, Como;
• Precinct 16 — Foyer outside gym, Miller Grove ISD, 7819 FM 275 South, Cumby;
• Precinct 17 — Administration Building, North Hopkins ISD, 1994 FM 71 West, Sulphur Springs.
Budget Amendment
Commissioners also approved a budget amendment to allow Hopkins County Jail Administrator Kenneth Dean to add a sixth sergeant to assist with book-ins.
Sheriff Lewis Tatum said the jail usually books in 12 to 14 people per day. Money is available in the jail budget to fund the position.