Voters came to the polls to make their voices heard in the 2024 Primary Election last Tuesday, which saw a total of 1,318 ballots cast in Box Butte County, according to the unofficial results.
County Clerk Martie Burke explained that this election went well in Box Butte County, with poll workers adapting to the new voter ID law, which was signed into law by the Governor in 2023.
“It went pretty smooth,” said Burke. “We only had three people that used the provisional voter ID verification. Other than that, everyone brought some form of a valid ID.”
Burke said that turnout for this primary is comparable to the primary election in 2022, with a total of 19.35 percent of Box Butte County’s voters casting ballots, according to the unofficial results. Burke said that next step, after running the provisional ballots, the canvassing board will meet to finalize the numbers and send the report to the state.
This year’s primary carried with it extra weight for Alliance’s voters, as they voted to seat a council member to fill the vacancy left by Mayor Mike Dafney, who resigned in April of 2023. Mayor Earl Jones was appointed to fill the vacancy until the election. Jones completed his service following the City Council meeting on Tuesday night.
Three candidates were vying for the spot: Tacy Liptack, Brett Martin and Russell Saito. According to the unofficial results, a total of 930 votes were cast in the Alliance City Council race, with Liptack securing a victory with a total of 418 votes. Saito received 288 votes, Martin received 196 votes and there were a total of 28 write-in votes cast in the race.
At the first Alliance City Council meeting in June, Liptack will be sworn in to serve, and the council will undergo a reorganization process, during which council members will elect a new mayor and vice mayor.
The following are the unofficial election results in Box Butte County:
REP US President
Donald J. Trump: 843
Nikki Haley: 115
Perry Johnson: 27
Write-In Totals: 10
Total Votes Cast: 995
REP US Senator 6 YR
Deb Fischer: 764
Arron Kowalski: 240
Write-In Totals: 5
Total Votes Cast: 1,009
REP US Senator 2 YR
Pete Ricketts: 764
John Glen Weaver: 157
Mac Stevens: 67
Write-In Totals: 2
Total Votes Cast: 990
REP Congress Dist. 3
Adrian Smith: 718
John Walz: 206
Robert McCuiston: 76
Write-In Totals: 2
Total Votes Cast: 1,002
DEM US President
Joseph R. Biden Jr.: 175
Dean Phillips: 23
Write-In Totals: 7
Total Votes Cast: 205
DEM US Senator 6 YR
Write-In Totals: 23
Total Votes Cast: 23
DEM US Senator 2 YR
Preston Love Jr.: 171
Write-In Totals: 4
Total Votes Cast: 175
DEM Congress Dist. 3
Daniel Ebers: 95
David J. Else: 77
Write-In Totals: 4
LIB US President
Jacob Hornberger: 2
Chase Russell Oliver: 1
Charles Ballay: 0
Lars Mapstead: 0
Michael Rectenwald: 0
Mike ter Maat: 0
Write-In Totals: 1
Total Votes Cast: 4
LIB US Senator 6 YR
Write-In Totals: 0
Total Votes Cast: 0
LIB US Senator 2 YR
Write-In Totals: 0
Total Votes Cast: 0
LIB Congress Dist. 3
Write-In Totals: 0
Total Votes Cast: 0
LMN US President
Write-In Totals: 0
Total Votes Cast: 0
LMN US Senator 6 YR
Kerry Eddy: 2
Kenneth Peterson: 1
Write-In Totals: 0
Total Votes Cast: 3
LMN US Senator 2 YR
Write-In Totals: 0
Total Votes Cast: 0
LMN Congress Dist. 3
Write-In Totals: 0
Total Votes Cast: 0
Legislature Dist. 47
Paul E. Strommen: 973
Larry L. S. Bolinger: 244
Write-In Totals: 8
Total Votes Cast: 1,225
Alliance City Council Member
Tacy Liptack: 418
Russell Saito: 288
Brett Martin: 196
Write-In Totals: 28
Total Votes Cast: 930