Results from Tuesday’s special election for Senate District 32 show no candidate achieved a majority of the vote. The race will head to a runoff Nov. 23 between Meridian optometrist Minh Duong and Noxubee County Justice Court prosecutor Rod Hickman.

A total of 7,154 votes were cast Tuesday in Senate District 32, which includes parts of Lauderdale, Kemper, Noxubee and Winston counties.

Election results from circuit clerks of each county show Duong received 1,611 votes or 22.52 percent, and Hickman received 1,843 or 25.76 percent.

Of the five other candidates appearing on the ballot Tuesday, Keith Jackson received the highest percentage of the vote at 13.08 percent, Kim Houston received 12.76 percent, Stan Copeland received 10.78 percent, James Creer received 7.66 percent, Justin Curtis Creer received 4.19 percent, W.J. Coleman received 1.93 percent and Bradley Sudduth received 1.26 percent.

The four county circuit clerks also reported a total of four write-in votes, with two in Winston County and one each in Lauderdale and Kemper counties.

The election numbers reported by the circuit clerks do not include absentee or provisional ballots. The circuit clerks have until Nov. 12 to finalize their county’s results and transmit the data to the Secretary of State’s office.

Mississippi election law requires a candidate to receive a majority – 50 percent plus one vote – of the vote to avoid heading to a runoff. None of the nine candidates in Tuesday’s election met the majority threshold.

The two candidates receiving the highest percentage of votes, Duong and Hickman, will be on the ballot Nov. 23 for voters to decide who will be their next senator.

Absentee voting for the Nov. 23 runoff will begin Nov. 13 and run until Nov.  20 at noon.