This May, voters in Randall County will be heading to the polls to decide a runoff election that will crown the next County Court at Law judge for the next four years. Voters will be choosing between local attorneys Paul Herrmann and Claire Hamker Grammer in the runoff to replace the retiring incumbent, Judge James Anderson.

It has been a while since voters in Randall County have voted for a new county court at law judge. In 2018, Matt Martindale won a three-way primary to win the Court at Law No. 2 bench in the March primary, avoiding a runoff. In Potter County, however, the candidates for the county’s two court at law benches were not as lucky, with both races heading to runoffs.

Here’s a look back at 2018, when those two elections went to runoffs, and how Amarillo voters handled the last county court at law runoffs.

Potter County Court at Law No. 1 (2018)

In the 2018 race for Potter County Court at Law No. 1, incumbent Judge W.F. “Corky” Roberts was not seeking another term in office. The open seat attracted a field of three candidates, with criminal defense attorneys Walt Weaver and Len Walker facing local general practitioner Kerry Brian Haney.

Voters in the March primary election advanced Weaver and Walker to a runoff, with the two candidates claiming 48 percent and 39 percent of the vote, respectively, with Haney picking up the back of the field with 13 percent.

In the runoff campaign, Weaver continued showcasing his long list of endorsements from local elected officials and attorneys, while Walker highlighted his past military service and conservative advocacy. In the end, voters gave Weaver the nod for the job, with the attorney winning 59 percent to Walker’s 41 percent.

Weaver has subsequently been re-elected twice, running unopposed in both primary elections.

Potter County Court at Law No. 2 (2018)

Also in 2018, voters in Potter County headed to the polls to choose a new judge for Potter County County at Law No. 2. In that race, Judge Pamela Cook Sirmon was not running again, instead running for a district court bench. Three candidates stepped up to run for Sirmon’s seat: civil law attorney Matthew Hand, Potter County assistant prosecutor Wade Overstreet, and criminal defense attorney Jerry E. Morales.

In the first round of voting, Hand and Overstreet advanced to the runoff, winning 48 percent and 36 percent, respectively. The runoff featured two sophisticated campaigns, as Hand continued to highlight his longtime community ties and work at the law firm of Brown & Fortunato. Meanwhile, Overstreet ran an aggressive door-knocking operation and focused on his experience at Potter County.

On the day of the runoff, voters made Hand the Republican nominee, with the attorney winning 55 percent to Overstreet’s 45 percent.

After that election, Hand was re-elected unopposed in two primaries.