Write-in candidate wins constable election in Panola County

CARTHAGE, Texas (KLTV) - It’s extremely rare for a write-in candidate to win an election, but this week it happened in Panola County.

Jeff Ivy beat out the other candidate in the race for the position of Pct. 1 and 4 constable with 68% of the vote in Tuesday’s election. Ivy says he was appointed to the position back in May when it was vacated. He says he approached the local Republican party in hopes of being their nominee, but Ivy lost out on the vote to be placed on the ballot - leaving write-in as his only option.

“Like I said, I was already appointed,” Ivy said via FaceTime. “And, whenever it got out that I was not going to be able to get on the ballot, I just got an outpour of support that said, ‘yes, go ahead and run as a write-in. We’re going to back you.’”

Based on the records available, it appears Ivy is Panola County’s first successful write-in candidate. Ivy previously served as chief deputy at the Panola County Sheriff’s Office.