Winner of Bitter Alabama Primary Impounds Ballots

Atty. Gen. Charles Graddick, saying he feared his narrow victory over Lt. Gov. William J. Baxley in a Democratic gubernatorial primary might be stolen, ordered ballots impounded today but said he was confident that he would become George Wallace’s successor.

Graddick, 41, who switched from Republican ranks 10 years ago, put a conservative stamp on Alabama for the post-Wallace era as he drew Bible Belt whites and well-to-do urbanites, including Republicans, into a coalition that edged Baxley’s biracial, labor-heavy forces in Tuesday’s runoff.

But Baxley refused to concede one of the closest races in Alabama history.

“Don’t count it out,” said the 45-year-old former attorney general who led the five-candidate field in the June 3 Democratic primary.

Graddick, who paid a courtesy call today on Wallace, said Baxley telephoned him and was “very cordial.” He said said Baxley promised to support him if the verdict doesn’t change.

With all 4,230 precincts reporting today, unofficial totals showed Graddick with 466,581 votes, or 50%, and Baxley with 459,979, or 50%. That made the unofficial margin of victory 6,602 votes.

Graddick, as the state’s chief law officer, sent midnight telegrams to voting officials in 36 of Alabama’s 67 counties and ordered all ballots, poll lists, election machines and related material secured for the official canvass.

He also dispatched campaign representatives to the counties “to sit with the returns all night,” spokeswoman Janie Nobles said. “There’s a great fear the election may be stolen overnight.”

Early today, with 36 boxes remaining to be counted, Mobile County Circuit Judge Braxton Kittrell issued an order for authorities statewide to impound all election materials and equipment in cases where results had not been reported as of 3 a.m. Kittrell took the action at Graddick’s request.

The Democratic nominee is the favorite to defeat GOP nominee Guy Hunt in November. The state has not elected a Republican governor in over a century.