Unofficial final returns late Tuesday evening gave two challengers victories in races for Polk County Sheriff and a Georgia House of Representatives seat.

County voters also passed two referendums allowing Sunday alcohol sales in the unincorporated areas of Polk County.

Polk County has a new sheriff, as Republican candidate Johnny S. Moats took 57.02 percent of the vote.

Moats had 7,592 votes according to final unofficial results handed in at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, compared to 5,714 (42.92 percent) for incumbent Sheriff J. Kelly McLendon (D).

House Dist. 16

Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Rick Crawford failed in his bid for re-election to Georgia House of Representatives, District 16. Crawford trailed newcomer Republican Trey Kelley nearly 2-1.

According to the final unofficial returns, Kelley was elected with 65.4 percent of the Polk County vote, or 8,529 votes, to 4,475 votes for Crawford (34.31 percent).

Dist. 16 also includes Haralson County and part of Bartow County. Results from those counties were as follows:

Bartow County

Kelley, 1,476 votes (79.47 percent)

Crawford, 382 votes (20.50 percent)

Haralson County

Kelley, 652 votes (82.32 percent)

Crawford, 140 votes (17.68 percent)

District wide, Kelley took 68.08 percent of the vote (10,657) to Crawford's 31.92 percent (4,997).

Alcohol referendums

Sunday sales of alcohol, both by the drink at restaurants and package sales, had already been implemented in Cedartown and Rockmart.

However, Sunday sales had previously failed for the unincorporated areas of the county. The Polk County Commission voted earlier this year to put the issue back to county voters.

Both Sunday sales referendums were passed by wide margins Tuesday.

The vote totals were:

Sunday sales by the drink — yes, 7,069 (53.21 percent); no, 6,216 (46.79 percent);

Sunday sales, package stores — yes, 7,043 (53,14 percent); no, 6,210 (46.86 percent).

Polk County voters also passed two amendments to the state constitution. The charter school amendment passed with 6,931 yes votes (53.62 percent) to 5,995 not votes (46.38 percent).

A multi-year rental agreement amendment pased with 7,275 yes votes (59.39 percent) to 4,975 no votes (40.61 percent).

In total, some 13,675 Polk County voters went to the polls for the 2012 General Election.

This represented 71.02 percent of the county's 19,256 registered voters.