When the polls closed at 7 p.m. in Box Butte County on Tuesday, so did a historic election season, one which saw many changes due to COVID-19 and the highest voter turnout in modern history with a total of 5,253 ballots cast in the county. The results of the election were finalized when the canvassing board adjourned.
County Clerk Judy Messersmith said this election will stay with her as a memorable one, noting the number of changes seen this year due to the spread of the coronavirus, as well as the surge in voters making their voices heard.
“This was the most difficult election that I think the county has probably ever had with COVID and the issues,” said Messersmith. “We’ve never had this many people vote. We had wonderful poll workers. People stepped up, people called and came to the office to help. We lost people due to COVID, which is understandable, but we had some of the poll workers who didn’t feel comfortable working in May, they were back.
“It was unbelievable,” Messersmith said. “I cannot believe how many ballots we did in a day for absentee. The gals in the office are great. The resolution board and the counting board, those ladies did a great job. It was just a lot of work. We’ve never had a turnout like this. We had more absentees than we did total voters at times. It was a long election.”
During the primary election in May, Box Butte County saw polling locations condensed to the Box Butte County Courthouse as a majority of voters opted to vote by mail. During the general election, all of Box Butte County’s polling locations were open on election day, as was the County Clerks Office for those wishing to vote early. By the time the Clerks Office closed last Monday, more than 2,000 people had cast their votes.
On election day, Messersmith said there were long lines at each of the polling locations, with 2,384 people casting their votes in person on Nov. 3. Messersmith noted that the Clerks Office has been working to organize voter registration records recently to update the number of registered voters. A total of 67.49 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the election this year.
Messersmith noted that while the polling locations reopened for the general election, precautions were still taken to promote safety, including spacing out voting booths to practice social distancing, offering disposable pens to voters and providing masks and gloves for people—all in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 on election day to ensure people could make their voices heard.
Another change in the 2020 season was that after polls closed, Box Butte County Sheriff’s Deputy Preston Walls gathered the sealed ballot boxes from the voting precincts and delivered them to the Box Butte County Courthouse to ensure safety. Messersmith said she made the decision out of an abundance of caution.
“I just felt that with all of the unrest in the country that it was just a good policy to have the Sheriff’s Office pick up the ballots,” said Messersmith. “I know the poll workers were very pleased to have law enforcement pick up those ballots this year. It was just safer for the ballots and the poll workers.”
Messersmith said she will have to wait for the state to certify the results of the election, but she does not anticipate there being a recount in the local elections.
Box Butte County saw a number of local races this season. For Alliance, voters cast their ballots in the race for Alliance City Council. Citizens were asked to vote for two people, with four people appearing on the ballot. Incumbent Brian Mischnick received 2,174 votes, John McGhehey received 2,016, Mara Andersen received 1,133 and Gary Goodell received 1,079. McGhehey will join Mischnick on the city council, replacing incumbent Ryann Reynolds, who did not advance in the primary.
In the race for Alliance School Board, three seats were up for grabs, with six people in the race. Dave Rischling received 3,072 votes, incumbent Shana Brown received 1,779 votes, Jake Sylvester received 1,763 votes, incumbent Karen Trussell received 1,489 votes, Wes Whitwer received 1,427 votes, incumbent Tim Richey received 1,288 votes. Rischling and Sylvester will join Brown on the board, replacing Trussell and Richey.
Hemingford saw several races as well. For the Village Board of Trustees, Jake Frost received 265 votes, incumbent Richard Wacker received 248 votes, incumbent Lynda Novotny received 226 votes and Marcella Thomas received 188 votes. Frost will join Wacker and Novotny on the board, replacing Thomas.
In the race for Hemingford School Board Ward A, incumbent Tricia Schumacher received 646 votes and write-in candidate Micki Votruba received 118 votes. In Ward B, incumbent Rick Horstman received 764 votes, and ran unopposed. In Ward C, incumbent Brett Cullan received 710 votes, and ran unopposed.
In the race for Box Butte County Commissioner, Steve Burke, who ran unopposed after defeating incumbent Doug Hashman in the primary, received 4,630 votes.
On the state level, in the race for Legislative District 43, in Box Butte County, incumbent Tom Brewer received 1,947 votes and Tanya Storer received 1,893. In the race for Legislative District 47, in Box Butte County, incumbent Steve Erdman received 949 votes, and ran unopposed.
On the ballot, voters were asked whether to retain Judge Thomas Stine for the Workers’ Compensation Court, a six year term. 3,472 people voted in favor of retaining Judge Stine and 891 voted against retaining Judge Stine.
Voters were also asked whether to retain Judge Dirk Block for the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court. 3,383 people voted in favor of retaining Judge Block, and 928 voted against retaining Judge Block.
For the District Court, 3,776 people voted to retain Judge Travis O’Gorman and 841 voted against retaining Judge O’Gorman. 3,512 people voted in favor of retaining Judge Andrea Miller and 864 voted against retaining Judge Miller.
For the County Court, 3,492 people voted to retain Judge Kristen Mickey, and 834 voted against retaining Judge Mickey. 3,439 people voted in favor of retaining Judge James Worden and 911 voted against retaining Judge Worden.
For the Western Community College Board of Governors—District 3, Richard Stickney received 4,333 votes, and ran unopposed. For the at large seat, Tom Perkins received 4,195 votes, and ran unopposed.
For the Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District—Subdistrict 1, Rich Zochol received 4,455 votes, and ran unopposed. For Subdistrict 2, Scott Berndt received 4,190 votes, and ran unopposed. For Subdistrict 3, David Carlson received 4,171 votes, and ran unopposed. For Subdistrict 4, John Burke received 4,333 votes, and ran unopposed. For Subdistrict 5, Al Rasmussen received 4,185 votes, and ran unopposed.
In the race for Educational Service Unit No. 13—District 2, Patricia Jones received 2,614 votes, and ran unopposed.
On the national level, in the Presidential Election, Incumbent President Donald Trump and Vice President Michael Pence, Republican, received 4,002 votes, Former Vice President Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris, Democratic, received 1,051 votes, Jo Jorgensen and Jeremy Cohen, Libertarian, received 128 votes.
In the race for Senate, incumbent Ben Sasse, Republican, received 3,840 votes, Chris Janicek, Democratic, received 822 votes, and, Gene Siadek, Libertarian, received 326 votes.
In the race for Congress, incumbent Adrian Smith, Republican, received 3,964 votes, Mark Elworth Jr., Democratic, received 894 votes, and Dustin Hobbs, Libertarian, received 247 votes.
In the Proposed Constitutional Amendments, on Proposed Amendment No. 1, “An amendment to eliminate slavery or involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime,” 2,640 voted for the amendment and 2,154 voted against it.
On Proposed Amendment No. 2, “A constitutional amendment to authorize Legislature to allow cities and villages to pledge property taxes as part of a redevelopment project for a period not to exceed twenty years if, due to a high rate of unemployment combined with a high poverty rate as determined by law, more than one-half of the property in the project area is extremely blighted,” 2,529 voted for the amendment and 2,207 voted against it.
On Initiative Measure 428, an initiative asking, “Shall Nebraska statutes be amended to: (1) reduce the amount that delayed deposit services licensees, also known as payday lenders, can charge to a maximum annual percentage rate of thirty-six percent; (2) prohibit payday lenders from evading this rate cap; and (3) deem void and uncollectable any delayed deposit transaction made in violation of this rate cap?” 3,523 voted for the initiative and 1,225 voted against it.
On Initiative Measure 429, an initiative asking, “Shall the Nebraska Constitution be amended to state that laws may be enacted to provide for the authorization, regulation, and taxation of all forms of games of chance to be conducted by licensees within licensed racetrack enclosures in Nebraska?” 3,021 voted in favor of the initiative and 1,833 voted against it.
On Initiative Measure 430, an initiative asking, “Shall a statute be enacted which: (1) allows games of chance to be conducted by authorized gaming operators within licensed racetrack enclosures in Nebraska; (2) establishes a Nebraska Gaming Commission to license and regulate such gaming; and (3) amends and repeals existing sections of law to harmonize provisions consistent with the enactment of such statute?” 3,123 voted in favor of the initiative and 1,754 voted against it.
On Initiative Measure 431, an initiative asking, “Shall a statute be enacted which: (1) imposes a 20% annual tax on gross gaming revenue from games of chance operated at licensed racetrack locations; (2) distributes 75% of such gaming tax revenues to the State for credit of 2.5% to both the Compulsive Gamblers Assistance Fund and General Fund, and 70% to the Property Tax Credit Cash Fund; and (3) distributes 25% of such gaming tax revenues to the county where the licensed racetrack is located, or, if the racetrack is located partially within a city or village, distributes this percentage evenly between the county and city or village?” 3,131 voted in favor of the initiative and 1,734 voted against it.