Payne defeats Slater in runoff

Less than 1,000 voters in Madison County decided last week’s runoff election for District 2 Election Commissioner.

Republican Lauren Seyler Payne beat independent Vicky Slater, a former Democrat candidate for governor, in the runoff held on Tuesday, Nov. 24 with 628 votes to Slater’s 335 votes. 

The final count came out to 3.85 percent voter turnout.

Totals immediately after the Nov. 3 general election showed Payne in the lead with the other Republican candidate, Teresa Sanders Speaks, in second. Slater would close the gap after all paper votes were counted to finish in second place.

Final totals from the general election had Payne with 46.84 percent of the vote, followed by Slater with 27.22 percent. Speaks would have a final total of 25.65 percent of the votes cast. Wray’s office recorded a total of 42 write-in votes taking 0.29 percent of the vote share.