Williamson County incumbents Bill Gravell, Cynthia Long and Russ Boles were re-elected to their Commissioners Court seats Nov. 8, with unofficial results reported from all of the county’s 65 available polling locations.
In the race for county judge, Republican Bill Gravell defeated Democrat Blane Conklin in what began as a tight race. Gravell received 49.34% of the vote, or 108,490 votes. Conklin, who initially gained a lead with early voting results, ended with 46.75% of the vote, tallying 102,787 votes. Libertarian Wes Benedict received 3.91% with 8,588 votes.
Gravell, who defeated Conklin in the last election in 2018, said he has high expectations for the next four years, but also anticipates financial “storm clouds.”
“I think we have the opportunity to continue to land some world companies, like the Samsungs and additional companies of that caliber,” he said. “I also think, too, that in the next four years that we’re going to see some complicated financial times.”
Long, a Republican who has already served as Precinct 2 commissioner for the last 16 years, will stay in her role for another four. She garnered 54.02% of the vote, or 30,986 votes, in her victory over Democrat Brigid Lester. Lester received 45.98%, or 26,370 votes.
In Precinct 4, Republican Russ Boles will serve a second term as county commissioner. He received 54.09% of the vote with a total of 27,969 ballots cast for him. Democrat Jose Orta tallied 45.91%, or 23,735 votes.
Results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide to see results from all local elections in your community.
UPDATED: Nov. 8, 11:20 p.m.
Three Republican incumbents in the Williamson County Commissioners Court are leading their respective races, with 45 out of 65 polling places having reported to the election department.
The margin between County Judge Bill Gravell and Democrat Blane Conklin remains tight, with Gravell now in the lead at 48.83% of the vote, or 95,279 votes. Conklin has garnered 47.46% of the vote, or 92,604 ballots. Libertarian Wes Benedict, meanwhile, has tallied 3.72% with 7,252 votes.
Precinct 2 County Commissioner Cynthia Long has increased her lead, having received 52.75% of the vote, or 25,217 votes. Candidate Brigid Lester has collected 47.25% with 22,591 votes.
Precinct 4 County Commissioner Russ Boles has received 53.9% of the vote, or 24,570 votes, compared to Jose Orta’s 46.1% with 21,018 votes.
Results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide to see results from all local elections in your community.
Updated Nov. 8, 10:30 p.m.
Incumbent County Judge Bill Gravell has taken a slight lead in his bid for re-election over Democrat Blane Conklin.
With 25 out of 65 polling places reported in Williamson County, Gravell has a lead of 651 votes, bringing him to a total of 86,304, or 48.44% of the vote. Conklin has received 85,383 votes, or 48.08% of the vote.
The candidate who receives the most votes will win. There will not be a runoff election between the two highest voter getters.
Results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide to see results from all local elections in your community.
Updated Nov. 8, 10 p.m.
With seven out of 65 polling locations in Williamson County reporting Election Day results from the Nov. 8 election, Republican incumbent Bill Gravell has closed the gap between him and Democrat Blane Conklin for the county judge seat.
Still, Conklin has a lead of 1,070 votes, having received 48.67% of the vote. Gravell is sitting at 48.02%, while Libertarian Wes Benedict has tallied 3.3%.
Precinct 2 County Commissioner Cynthia Long remains in the lead with 51.08% of the votes, or 21,069 votes. Brigid Lester trails at 48.92% with 20,178 votes.
In Precinct 4, Russ Boles has retained his lead with 51.95% of the vote, or 19,500 votes. Jose Orta has garnered 48.05% with 18,035 votes.
All three races will be determined by plurality, meaning whoever receives the most votes in each election will be the winner, Elections Administrator Chris Davis said in an email.
Results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide to see results from all local elections in your community.
Posted Nov. 8, 7:38 p.m.
Early voting results from Williamson County have Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long and Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles, both Republicans, in the lead in their respective races.
Meanwhile, Democrat Blane Conklin took the early lead over Republican incumbent Bill Gravell for the county judge seat. Of the early votes, Conklin received 49.15% of the vote, or 78,737 votes, while Gravell garnered 47.63%, or 76,306 votes. Libertarian candidate Wes Benedict tallied 3.22%. This is the second time for Conklin and Gravell to face each other in a general election. Gravell previously won in 2018, receiving 51.3% of the votes.
In the Precinct 2 commissioner race, Long has gotten out to an early lead with 50.92% of the vote, or 20,309 votes. Democratic nominee Brigid Lester has garnered 49.08%, or 19,578 votes. Long has served in the role since she won her election in 2006. In the 2018 election, Long garnered 52.85% of the votes, defeating Democratic candidate Kasey Redus.
Boles leads Democrat Jose Orta in the Precinct 4 race, receiving 51.89% of the vote, or 19,265 votes, to Orta’s 48.11%, or 17,861 votes. Boles began his first term in 2018, when he secured the seat by garnering 166 more votes than Democratic candidate Carlos Salinas.
During the early voting period, from Oct. 24-Nov.4, nearly 40% of Williamson County’s voters cast ballots.
Results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide to see results from all local elections in your community.
