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Following Recount, Brad Cole Retains Post as Christian County Sheriff

Brad Cole
christiancountymo.gov

A recount of nearly 10,000 ballots has confirmed Brad Cole as the winner of the election for Christian County sheriff.  

It took approximately 4.5 hours Tuesday to review the ballots from three weeks prior. 28 election judges split time to complete the recount.   

Cole’s vote total stayed the same at 3,275, according to Christian County Clerk Kay Brown. His challenger and the one who called for the recount, Ralph Phillips, did pick up one vote to net 3,272, but that still fell short.

“This is the closest I’ve ever had as far as doing a recount,” said Brown, who has been with the county for 13 years. “This is the closest between candidates or issues.”

Ken Lovell also picked up an additional vote.

In total, two more votes turned up in the recount. Brown says the recount cost the county about $1,300.

Recount totals:

9,994 total (Plus two votes)

  • Ken Lovell, Democrat, 1,106 (Plus one vote)
  • Brad Cole, Republican, 3,275 (Same)
  • Ralph Phillips, Independent, 3,272 (Plus one vote)
  • Keith Mills, Independent, 2,319 (Same)
  • Write-ins 22 (Same)

Brad Cole was sworn in as sheriff on Aug. 7, quickly removing seven deputies and demoting two others. Cole even hired Ralph Phillips as a lieutenant in the department as Phillips was pursuing a recount.
Cole will remain sheriff through 2016, filling out the remaining term of former sheriff Joey Kyle. Kyle resigned from the post this summer before pleading guilty to embezzlement and fraud. He was sentenced to one year in prison. The 2016 August primary and November general election will determine Christian County’s sheriff for the following four years.

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