By voting against a prison coming to their county, Pike County residents gave Adams County a huge advantage, local officials said Tuesday.

Pike County voted not to allow Corrections Corporation of America, the country’s largest private corrections company, to locate a facility there.

The unofficial results were 3,854 against the prison and 2,721854 in favor of it. About 22 percent of eligible voters turned out, according to the Pike County Circuit Clerk’s Office.

That is a huge plus for Adams County’s chances of getting a CCA prison, Adams County Supervisors President Darryl Grennell said Tuesday.

“That is good news for Adams County. There’s a much greater chance of it being in Adams County, now,” Grennell said. “I know it’s going to be in Adams County. That’s like a 100 percent guarantee it’s going to be here.”

CCA is one of two prison companies vying for a federal contract and looking to locate in Adams County. CCA has announced it was looking to pick a location among Pike, Walthall and Adams counties.

Now that Pike County is out of the running, and Walthall County is not as far along in the selection process, Adams County looks like the place, Natchez-Adams County Economic Development Authority Chair Woody Allen said.

“It just puts us in a very positive light going forward with regard to being one of the top sites,” Allen said.

CCA spokesman Steve Owen said he thought the results were very positive for Adams County.

“This is more about Pike County than about CCA,” Owen said. “Pike County is removing themselves from consideration. It means we have to shift our focus to the other two counties in Mississippi wanting to be considered.”

Supervisor Sammy Cauthen said he was interested in the jobs a potential prison would bring to the county.

“We need the jobs, and we need the ad valorem taxes off the $90 million project,” Cauthen said. “Businesspeople in town need the business that would come along with the prison.”

Supervisor Henry Watts said he was pleased Pike County voted against the prison.

“It obviously heightens our chances of getting the prison here,” Watts said. “The prison proposal makes the most economic sense. It is the best industrial proposal I have seen that made economic sense since I’ve been on the board of supervisors.”

Supervisor Thomas “Boo” Campbell said he thought a prison in Adams County was a sure thing.

“I think there’s not much to stop it for Adams County,” Campbell said. “We need the jobs. There will always be skeptics, and there will always be pros and cons. The reality is, we need the jobs, and I welcome it.”

Supervisor S.E. “Spanky” Felter said he thought the Pike County vote would definitely mean a prison in Adams County.

“I’m sure they’re coming here,” he said. “I’m sure they’re going to try.”

But Felter said he wanted the residents of Adams County to be able to decide that issue.

“I want the people to have a chance to vote on it,” Felter said. “If they want it, it’s fine with me.”

Residents might get that chance. Mississippi law states that if residents of a county get 1,500 signatures on a petition asking for a vote on a private prison, the county has to hold a vote.

Some have recently said that because of timing — CCA wants to take advantage of the GO Zone incentives — a vote would ruin Adams County’s chances of getting the prison.

Robert Palmer is one of those spearheading a petition in Adams County to bring the issue to a vote.

And while the petition is not for or against the prison, only asking for a vote, Palmer said he is not in favor of having a private federal prison in the county.

“We just feel if this thing comes, these people who are promoting it are going to see the day they regret bringing it in,” Palmer said. “It’s not if we have a problem there, it’s when.”

Adams County’s deadline to present a petition with the required number of signatures is Tuesday.