Ron Easley emerged victorious Tuesday night in a runoff election for the District 1 Justice of the Peace seat in Benton County, according to the county’s election results.
With all eight precincts reporting, election results showed Easley defeating Mike McKenzie 304 votes to 299 (50.41 percent to 49.59 percent).
Almost 1,400 fewer people voted in the runoff for the Justice of the Peace position, compared to the regular primary election held May 20. The primary election saw 1,462 voters for the seat, while Tuesday’s runoff election collected 83 votes.
The District 1 seat went to a runoff after Easley and McKenzie garnered the most votes, but each failed to collect more than 50 percent. Easley received 522 votes (36 percent) to McKenzie’s 430 (29 percent) in the May primary election.
The two candidates beat out their other two competitors, Elizabeth Bowen and Mary Gardner. Bowen collected 335 votes at the time (23 percent), while Gardner received 175 votes (12 percent), according to results released by the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office.
