Republican incumbent Chris Hill held off Democrat John R. "Buster" Brown to win the Collin County judge race, according to unofficial results posted after all 90 vote centers reported Nov. 3.

Hill received 217,401 votes, or 50.22%, to Brown's 215,538 votes, or 49.78%, Community Impact reported. That is a margin of 1,863 votes.

The outcome was not clear for hours. Brown held an early lead in results posted at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, with 183,429 early votes (50.66%) to Hill's 178,629 (49.34%). Those totals reflected early voting and mail ballots only. Hill pulled ahead after Election Day in-person votes were added, as first reported by KERA.

Murphy, Wylie and Sachse residents in Collin County had the race on their ballots. Collin County voters could cast ballots at any of 90 Election Day locations, including the Murphy Community Center at 205 N. Murphy Rd., the Michael J Felix Community Center at 3815 E. Sachse Rd. and the Collin College Wylie Campus at 391 Country Club Rd., according to the county's election order. Sachse residents who live in Dallas County did not have the county judge race on their ballots.

All results remain unofficial until canvassed.

Who ran

Hill, a Republican, has served as Collin County judge since 2019, according to election data compiled by BallotReady. The county judge presides over the five-member Commissioners Court, which adopts the county budget and shares spending decisions with four commissioners.

KERA described Brown as a Plano attorney. He ran as a Democrat.

Hill cast the lone dissenting vote when commissioners approved a higher property tax rate Sept. 14, the first increase in more than three decades, according to Sachse News. The new combined rate of $0.151414 per $100 of assessed value meant an estimated $62.88 annual increase for a median-value homestead of $517,911.

Bond propositions rejected

Voters also turned down all four propositions in an $817.5 million Collin County bond package, according to unofficial results reported by Sachse News. The bond election order broke down the proposals:

  • Proposition A: $296.5 million for court and detention facilities. Rejected, with 61.73% voting against.
  • Proposition B: $475 million for non-tolled roads and bridges. Rejected, with 50.80% voting against.
  • Proposition C: $6 million for parks and open space. Rejected, with 52.70% voting against.
  • Proposition D: $40 million for a new elections and records storage facility. Rejected, with 68.93% voting against.

A separate $600 million Collin College bond proposition also failed, with 51.81% voting against, according to Sachse News.

Statewide results

On the same ballot, the Associated Press called the Texas U.S. Senate race for Democrat James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton at 11:03 p.m. EST on Nov. 3, according to AP's live midterm coverage. Talarico's win marks the first time a Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994, according to the AP. The AP also reported that Democrats won control of Congress.

What comes next

Collin County Commissioners Court is scheduled to canvass the Nov. 3 results on Monday, Nov. 16, at 1:30 p.m. at the Collin County Administration Building, 2300 Bloomdale Rd., Suite 4192, in McKinney, according to the county's canvass notice.