Primary Election is a long day for volunteers

Election workers trickled into the Cheyenne County Courthouse in Sidney Tuesday night carrying large silver lock boxes with ballots inside for the statewide primary election day. With polls open for 12 straight hours, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., it made for a long day for everyone.

Ann Schaaf has been been a volunteer during county elections for more than 25 years.

"It's a privilege and an honor and I love it," Schaaf said.

Early voting began on April 11, with in-person voting and ballot pickup at the county clerk's office in the county courthouse. On election day, May 10, voting was moved to the county fairgrounds, along with polling locations in Gurley, Dalton, Lodgepole and Potter. In total, 11 precincts were counted in the primary election.

At 7 p.m., the polls were closed and the ballots were transported to the county clerk's office at the courthouse for counting.

In an interview prior to the election, Cheyenne County Clerk Beth Fiegenschuh said voter registration across the state is higher than it has been in previous years.

"In the past, 20 to 22 percent has kind of been the average," said Fiegenschuh, who serves as election commissioner for the county.

This year's primary election brought in an increase to the average, with 2,174 of the county's 6,800 total registered voters, or 31.97 percent, turning out. By party, 1,726 voted Republican, 302 Democratic, 3 Libertarian and 143 Nonpartisan.

Statewide, there was a 26.52 percent turn out for the primary election.

Locally, three Republican candidates were on the primary ballot for County Commissioner in District 1: incumbent Steven L. Olson of Lodgepole, and challengers Randy Miller and Michael J. Palmer, both of Sidney.

The unofficial results show Miller receiving 399 votes, or 71.71 percent of the total, to unseat Olson, who received 129 votes, or 18.04 percent of the total. Palmer trailed with 56 votes, or 10.24 percent.

Cheyenne County also had two locals running for the State Legislature among the four on the ballot. The four candidates for District 47 were Wendall F. Gaston and Peggy Popps of Sidney, along with Karl Elmshaeuser of Ogallala and Steve Erdman of Bayard.

The Sidney natives received the majority of the votes in the local election, with Gaston bringing in 783 votes, or 36.61 percent of the total, and Popps receiving 702 votes, or 32.82 percent.

However, in the statewide election results for District 47, Erdman and Elmshaeuser came out on top, with Erdman receiving 2,949 votes, or 35.81 percent of the total, and Elmshaeuser 2,053 votes, or 24.93 percent. The two will move on to the general election ballot in November.

In the presidential race, Republican candidate Donald Trump garnered 67.79 percent of the total votes in Cheyenne County with 1,130 ballots cast for him. In Nebraska, Trump received 121,287 votes, 61.43 percent of the total, to win the nomination.

The Democratic presidential nomination was a close race both locally and statewide, with Bernie Sanders edging Hillary Clinton by ten votes in Cheyenne County, 134 to 124. Clinton took the nomination for the state, however, receiving 53.27 percent of the voting total.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson tied write-ins with two votes in the county, while John McAfee received one vote. Statewide, Johnson came out on top with 366 votes, or 51.91 percent of the total.

Several candidates for positions with the Sidney City Council, the airport authority and the Sidney, Creek Valley, Leyton and Potter-Dix school boards also filed for nomination in the primary election. However, since the number of candidates do not exceed two for each position to be filled, they are instead declared nominated and their names did not appear on the primary election ballot.

The results are unofficial until the county's canvassing board reviews them and counts provisional ballots on Thursday, May 12.

The general election will be held Nov. 8.