Severe weather overshadowed Election Day in Lafayette County on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, and may have played a roll in the low turnout for the County Court Judge Run-Off Election.
On the ballot were candidates Carnelia Fondren and Tiffany Kilpatrick, who placed first and second in a crowded field in the General Election November 8.
A total of 4,472 registered voters cast a ballot in Tuesday’s Run-Off compared to the 12,711 registered votes cast on November 8. That’s a difference of 8,239 less votes. Only 35% of the people who voted in the General Election November 8 voted in the Run-Off on November 29.
After all ballots from 18 out of 18 precincts were counted, Circuit Clerk Jeff Busby declared Tiffany Kilpatrick the winner, with 2,826 votes (63.24% of the vote) compared to Carnelia Fondren’s 1,634 votes (36.56%).
| Lafayette County Judge | Totals | 100% Reporting |
| Tiffany Kilpatrick | 2,826 | 63.24% |
| Carnelia Fondren | 1,634 | 36.56% |
| Write-Ins | 9 | 0.20% |
| Total Votes Cast | 4,469 | 100% |
Interestingly, Carnelia Fondren received more votes in the general election than the run-off. In the general, Carnelia gathered 2,432 votes but in the run-off she received just 1,634 votes, which is 798 votes less than the general. Tiffany Kilpatrick, on the other hand, added 666 votes in the run-off election to her general election total of 2,160.
Also interesting, who were the nine people who braved the weather just to cast a write-in vote? And who did they vote for? It makes you wonder.
Tiffany Kilpatrick will start her new roll as Lafayette County Court Judge on January 1, 2023.
