State Rep. Mike Shaw (R-Hoover) held onto his seat in House District 47 by 376 votes after a Jefferson County polling place reported one voting machine’s results three times and the duplicate tapes were caught and corrected during the count Tuesday night.
Shaw finished with 8,266 votes to Democrat Jim Toomey’s 7,890, 51.2% to 48.8%, with all 178 Jefferson County precincts reporting. The district lies entirely in Jefferson County.
Toomey led for most of the night. Yellowhammer News initially called the race for Toomey, but has since reversed that call after confirming some results were reported in error.
The county’s first report, covering 96 precincts, had Toomey ahead 1,778 to 1,558. The 11:24 p.m. report, covering 129 precincts, had Shaw ahead 8,142 to 7,674.
The error occurred at a precinct with three voting machines. Poll workers printed one machine’s results tape three times and reported the three copies to the probate judge’s office as the totals for all three machines, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Shaw’s campaign caught that error, put boots on the ground at the polling precinct, and ensured they were reprinted. Once the tickets were properly reprinted and reported, Rep. Shaw was put over the top.
The seat was one of three in Hoover and Vestavia Hills that Democrats pushed to the wire. Democrat
Nell Brown defeated Leigh Hulsey by 526 votes in House District 15 next door. State Sen. Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) held Senate District 16 with 53.7%.
Jefferson County went 68.3% for Doug Jones in the governor’s race, and the suburban precincts that reported after 9:43 p.m. split about 60-40 for Jones. Shaw won a district Governor Kay Ivey carried with roughly 65% in 2022.
Republicans hold 74 of 105 House seats, four above the two-thirds majority, after losing House Districts 15 and 25.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
