Republican incumbent Troy Nehls held onto his narrow lead over Democratic challenger Michael Ellison in the contested Fort Bend County sheriff race. Nehls secured 52.05 percent of the vote, which is 134,964 votes. Ellison trailed closely behind throughout the night and ended his bid with 124,340 votes, which is 47.95 percent of the vote, according to the Fort Bend County Clerk election site.
Nehls was elected as sheriff in 2012, when he first competed against Ellison for the seat.
Of the county's 408,793 registered voters, only 266,857 turned out to vote, which is a turnout of 65.28 percent.
Fort Bend County sheriff race comes down to the wire
Updated: 10:22 p.m.
With 141 of 152 precincts reporting, Republican incumbent Troy Nehls is holding onto his lead in the Fort Bend County sheriff race.
Nehls has 53.12 percent of the vote, and Democratic challenger Michael Ellison is close behind at 46.88 percent of the vote. Nearly 220,000 votes were recorded in the sheriff election, and less than 12,000 of the recorded votes were on Election Day.
Nehls and Ellison ran against each other for the sheriff office in 2012, when Nehls was first elected.
All results are unofficial until canvas.
Troy Nehls takes lead in Fort Bend County sheriff race
Updated: 7:29 p.m.
Votes have started to trickle in since polling sites closed at 7 p.m.
Republican incumbent Troy Nehls, who was elected in 2012 to Fort Bend County sheriff, received nearly 53 percent of the early vote. Democratic contender Michael Ellison, who is making a second bid for the position after losing the 2012 election, is trailing behind at 47 percent.
About 208,000 early votes were cast for the race. No Election Day results have been reported. Countywide results can be found online the Fort Bend County Clerk site.
With less than an hour, some voters face long lines
Updated: 6:35 p.m.
A handful of polling locations in Fort Bend County have wait times up to 40 minutes, and two have wait times of more than 40 minutes as voters pour in for last minute voting.
Randalls in New Territory and Gallery Furniture in Richmond have the longest wait times, with voters standing for at least 40 minutes to cast their ballot. The seven other locations with long waits include Tompkins High, Seven Lakes High, Beckendorf Junior High and Beck Junior High schools along with Fort Bend County Fairgrounds Building in Rosenberg and Fort Bend County-Sienna Branch.
Ellison, Nehls compete for Fort Bend County Sheriff seat
Posted 6:20 p.m.
Candidates for Fort Bend County Sheriff are working hard to rally their voters on Election Day with less than an hour to go.
Democratic candidate Michael Ellison is challenging Republican incumbent Troy Nehls, who was elected to his position in 2012.
No precincts have reported their election results to the Fort Bend County Clerk by press time. Polls close at 7 p.m., and results will continue to be updated throughout the night as results pour in.
