Republican Michael Belk led all other candidates in the competitive York County sheriff’s primary with 5,987 votes reported after polls closed Tuesday night.

Polls closed at 7 p.m., and no precincts were fully reported as of 8 p.m. The number of votes reported so far is only slightly more than the number of people who cast a ballot during the early voting period. To avoid a runoff and advance to the general election, where there’s no Democratic competition, the first-place Republican candidate needs more than 50% of the vote.

Belk, the first-place candidate, had just over 29% of the vote, and the second-place candidate, Tony Breeden, had over 25% early Tuesday night. The remaining candidates are as follows: Beth Bryant Tolson, with around 18%; Chris Blevins, with 15%; and Heath Clevenger, with 11%.

All the candidates have more than 25 years law enforcement experience, including retired sheriff deputies Clevenger and Blevins, retired Rock Hill police officer Breeden, Rock Hill police deputy chief Belk and Tolson, the current sheriff’s wife who’s worked as a sheriff’s deputy and an investigator.

The sheriff earns $209,261 per year and serves a four-year term.

York County sheriff primary

The Republican winner is almost assured to win the November general election and take office in January because there are no Democratic or other party candidates.

Current sheriff Kevin Tolson filed for re-election March 18, but withdrew from the race when filing ended April 1 – when his wife filed for the job. He is supporting his wife’s bid for sheriff. State law allowed the party to extend filing because there was only one candidate left after the withdrawal of Kevin Tolson.

The sheriff’s office has than 300 employees in law enforcement and detention. The sheriff has countywide jurisdiction, but is separate from municipal police departments in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, York, Clover and Tega Cay. The annual budget for the sheriff’s office is around $55 million, York County documents show.

The sheriff’s office has its own lab for DNA and drugs and and other forensic testing, and operates units that include patrol, detectives, traffic, and other specialized services.