Staff Writer

Giving people the right to pick their leaders is expensive, despite the fact most don’t vote.

Each vote cast in Tuesday’s Republican and Democratic runoffs cost taxpayers here $21.70.

Pike County Adminstrator Steve Hicks said it cost the county approximately $50,000 to hold the runoffs.

Then, only 13 percent of the county’s registered voters even went to the polls.

After all the votes were counted, 2,304 of Pike County’s 17,846 registered voters

cast ballots on Tuesday.

Alabama Secretary of State Jim Bennett had predicted that between 5 and 10 percent of the state’s 2.3 million registerd voters would participate in the runoffs, coting taxpayers about $26 per vote.

Although it will be later today before the official turnout is tallied, Tuesday’s runoffs could be close to a record low for voter apathy.

Ed Packard of the Secretary of State’s Office said the figures showed 9.3 percent turnout with 50 of the state’s 67 counties reporting.

If the other 17 counties had no voters, the turnout would be 6.8 percent, which is just below the state’s record low was set earlier this year when only 7 percent of Alabama voters went to the polls to decide on the franchise tax constitutional amendment in March.

Packard said he expects statewide turnout to be about 7.5 percent.

Of those counties who had reported by Wednesday afternoon, several had a turnout of less than 2 percent and one county in North Alabama even had less than 1 percent report to the polls.

But, its the number of votes counted that matter to the winners like Ray Goodson, Charlie Harris and Herbert Reynolds.

After party officials certified the results Wednesday, Democrat Ray Goodson, the incumbent for District 4, was declared the winner over Terry Sneed. Goodson received 545 votes and Sneed received 388.

In the District 5 commission race, incumbent Charlie Harris, a Democrat, soundly defeated Jeff Baker. Harris received 516 votes (64.18 percent) and Baker received 288 votes.

The only other local race was for the Democratic nomination for the Pike County Board of Education District 5 seat.

Incumbent Willo D. Baker was defeated by Herbert Reynolds, who received more than 60 percent of the votes cast in that race. Reynolds’ total was 476 and Baker garnered 311 votes.

Almost 75 percent of the votes cast in Tuesday’s runoffs were in the District 4 and 5 Pike County Commission races.

With a total of 2,304 of Pike County’s 17,846 registered voters going to the polls, most of those were in favor of the two commission incumbents.

Unofficial results showed Democrat Ray Goodson, the District 4 commissioner, defeated Terry Sneed with over 58 percent of the vote. Goodson received 545 votes and Sneed received 388.

In the District 5 commission race, incumbent Charlie Harris, a Democrat, soundly defeated Jeff Baker. Harris received 516 votes (64.18 percent) and Baker received 288 votes.

The only other local race was for the Democratic nomination for the Pike County Board of Education District 5 seat.

Incumbent Willo D. Baker was defeated by Herbert Reynolds, who received more than 60 percent of the votes cast in that race. Reynolds’ total was 476 and Baker garnered 311 votes.

The fourth race on the Democratic ballot was for the State Board of Education District 5 seat. Ella Bell won with 853 votes (51.08 percent) over Latosha Brown, who received 817 votes.