MOORE With an all-time record election turnout in Wilkes County, voters have chosen Mark Moore for Sheriff, retained Rosa Lee Martin as magistrate judge, and have sent Kimberly Rainey and Thomas Charping to a runoff election for Wilkes Probate Judge.

A crowd of voters and candidates watched the election returns being projected in the Wilkes County courtroom, and by a little after 9 p.m., the totals were in. An incredible 82.37 percent of Wilkes County voters cast ballots in the election, nearly evenly divided between early voting and election day voting.

In the contested races, Wilkes County voters gave the nod to Democrat Mark Moore by a 2-to- 1 margin in the race for Wilkes County sheriff over Republican Jeff Johnson, with 69.21 percent voting for Moore and 30.79 percent for Johnson.

Incumbent Chief Magistrate Rosa Lee Martin kept her seat with 57.28 percent of the vote over challenger Tommy Saggus 42.72 percent.

In the eight-candidate race for Wilkes Probate judge, top vote

getters were Kimberly Rainey, with 26.96 percent, and Thomas Charping, with 22.95 percent. The two will face off in a runoff December 2. In national races, John McCain beat out Barack Obama in Wilkes County by

some 400 votes, 2705 to 2306. Wilkes County voters chose Republican Saxby Chambliss over challenger Jim Martin for U.S. Senator, and favored incumbent Rep. Paul Broun over Democrat Bobby Saxon.

CHARPING With the new early voting combined with advance and absentee ballots, some 2425 Wilkes County voters cast ballots early, compared with 2,664 who voted Tuesday. The total who voted is 5,089, an incredible 82 percent of the 6,178 registered voters in the county.

Complete election results, though at press time unofficial and incomplete, are printed on page 18.

RAINEY