Incumbent Craig Nobles defeated challenger Darrell Ballance on Tuesday to take the sheriff’s race in Long County.  
According to the Long County Election Board, Nobles, a Democrat, received 2,580 votes, or 68.56 percent, and Balance, a Republican, received 1,183 votes,  or 31.44 percent.  
“I appreciate all of the people who supported me, and I’m thankful that they had the confidence in me to go out and cast their vote,” said Nobles, who was appointed to sheriff in January after the death of his father and long-time sheriff, Cecil Nobles. “My goal as sheriff is to make Long County a better place to live for everyone and their family. I also want everyone to know that I am available to them, and I encourage them to bring whatever concerns that they have to me at the sheriff’s office.”
Ballance also thanked his supporters and congratulated Nobles on his victory.
“I believe that we need some changes in the county, and I hope that he will make the ones that are needed,” Ballance said.
In the constitutional-amendment races, Long County voters said yes to the charter-school issue, casting 1,940 votes (54.51 percent), with 1,619 “no” votes cast (45.49 percent).  Long County voters approved the multi-year rental by a tally of 1,995 (58.75 percent) in favor and 1,401 (41.25 percent) against.
Voters in Long County bucked the nation, but fell in line with Georgia, as Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney carried the county by receiving 2,300 votes, or 60.51 percent, while incumbent Democrat Barack Obama received  1,434 votes, or 37.73 percent.
In other races, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston took 2,475 of the votes, (67.8 percent) in District 1, while Democratic challenger Lesli Messinger received 1,167 votes (32 percent).  In the nonpartisan soil and water conservation supervisor’s race, incumbent Cecil Stafford received 2,354 votes (74.94 percent),  while challenger Raiford Benton III received 781 votes (24.86 percent).