NATCHEZ — Official election results are in, and Chuck Mayfield and Ray Brown will be on the Nov. 24 runoff ballot.

While Ray Brown’s runoff position was secured Tuesday night, Mayfield and Randy Freeman waited two days to find out their official standings in the election.

“(Mayfield defeated Freeman) by exactly 100 votes,” Election Commissioner Larry Gardner said.

Certified results showed Brown with 3,776 votes or 35.48 percent of the vote.

Brown, the highest vote-getter, said he’s thankful for the support he received and will be looking for more supporters within the next three weeks.

“It’s great to know that people are participating and getting out and voting,” Brown said. “It shows how much they appreciate you and have faith in you.

“My plans for the next three weeks are to get out there and keep campaigning and get ready for the election,” Brown said.

Mayfield received 2,492 votes, or 23.41 percent of the vote.

“My campaign workers did a great job,” Mayfield said.

“It’s been a very good campaign for everyone. The Freeman campaign ran hard. I can’t say enough good about them,” Mayfield said. “Overall it was just a pleasant experience for me.”

But for Mayfield, the experience isn’t over, yet.

With the election falling two days before Thanksgiving, Mayfield said absentee ballots will be a key factor in the election.

“We’ve got to get busy right away getting the word out about absentee ballots,” Mayfield said.

“We’re going to hit the ground running, and start building bridges with our former opponents,” Mayfield said. “We’ve just had such great support so far. I just want to continue doing what we’re doing.”

Freeman received 2,392 votes or 22.47 percent of the vote.

Freeman said it’s a bittersweet feeling to not be involved in the runoff.

“It’s a big relief that it’s over for me, and I can get back to my life,” Freeman said.

“(Not making it into the runoff) was a big burden, because I felt like I let the guys down at the department,” Freeman said. “I was trying to keep everybody’s jobs for them, and I know I’m not in a position to do that for them now.”

Freeman said even though he wouldn’t be the next sheriff to select deputies for his office, he had confidence that both candidates will make wise decisions in keeping the best personnel.

“I think we’ve got two fantastic guys that are running, and I wish them the best of luck,” Freeman said.

Gardner said not only was the election a success in terms of voter turnout, but also in terms of how candidates represented themselves during and after their campaigns.

“The candidates were, in my opinion, running a good, clean race,” Gardner said. “I’m pleased that no one appears to be upset with the results of the election.

“Now we can move ahead and start preparing for the runoff election.”

Tuesday’s voter turnout was 49.9 percent.

Just over 3 percent of voters voted absentee or by affidavit.

All registered voters, even those who did not vote Tuesday, can vote in the runoff.