Jackson County voters choose county board members

UPDATED 11/03/2020 @ 10:45 p.m.

Several seats on the Jackson County Board were contested in today's election.

Democrat Tamiko Mueller, who represents a large part of north Carbondale as part of the board's District 4, fended off a challenge from the Green Party's Rich Whitney. With nine of nine precincts reporting, Mueller garnered 806 votes to Whitney's 318.

In District 5, representing much of southwest Carbondale, current Democratic board member Julie Peterson faced Republican challenger Darrell Dunham. With all precincts reporting, Dunham had 673 votes to Peterson's 560.

District 6, an even smaller piece of southwest Carbondale, is represented in part by Democrat Jessica Edmond, who faces Republican Navreet Kang and the Green Party's Charles Howe. Edmond appears to have secured re-election.

In Murphysboro, Republican Gene Basden II, the District 3 incumbent, faced a challenge from the Green Party's Joshua Hellmann. Basden won with 80 percent of the vote. Former Jackson County treasurer Sharon Harris-Johnson launched a write-in bid for the seat but collected less than 3 percent of the total vote.

Running uncontested for county board seats were Jan L. Phillips, Dan Bost, Richard Morris and Keith Larkin.

Current vote totals may not yet include all ballots cast in this election, and they won't be final until canvassed by elections officials.