Voter turnout low in mail-in only primary election
Photo by CHANSE WATSON
Shoshone County candidates cruise to uncontested victories
WALLACE — Whether it be the lack of local contested races, the mail-in only election format, the COVID-19 pandemic, or a combination of all three — more than half of registered Shoshone County voters just weren’t motivated enough to cast a ballot in this year’s primary election.
The Shoshone County Elections Department reports that of 6,865 registered voters in the county, only 2,137 (or 31.13%) of them mailed in their selections for the various state and county primary races available on the ballot.
In comparison, the state of Idaho Elections Department recorded a 38.5% state voter turnout.
When it came to contested races on the Democratic primary ballot, Shoshone County voters favored Paulette Jordan and Rudy Soto over their opponents.
Locally, Jordan grabbed 631 votes (82.05% of the vote) to Jim Vandermaas’ 138 in the DEM primary race for one of Idaho’s two U.S. Senator positions. Jordan also walked to a massive overall victory, garnering a commanding 85.7% of the vote statewide.
In the DEM primary race for U.S. District 1 Representative, Shoshone County chose Soto over Staniela Nikolova by a margin of 387 votes (56.50%) to 298. Soto also went on to win overall with 65.76% of the vote in the district.
The remaining races on the Democratic ballot were all uncontested county-level races. This means that Sheriff Mike Gunderson (720 votes), Prosecuting Attorney Keisha Oxendine (751), Dist. 1 Commissioner Mike Fitzgerald (733), Dist. 2 Commissioner Jay Huber (752), and the various candidates running for precinct committee positions were all victorious. As of now, none of these candidates are set to meet challengers in the general election either.
Regarding contested races on the Republican primary ballot, Shoshone County chose Russ Fulcher, Priscilla Giddings and Cornel Rasor over their opponents.
Locally, Fulcher nabbed 775 votes (73.81%) to Nicholas Jones’ 275 in the GOP primary race for U.S. District 1 Representative. Fulcher also cruised to an overall victory with 79.87% of the vote.
In the GOP primary for State District 7 Representative Position A, Giddings narrowly took Shoshone County with 588 votes (56. 65%) compared to Dennis Harper’s 450. Giddings also squeaked out an overall victory with 56.43% of the district vote.
With the State District 7 Representative Position B, Rasor took Shoshone County in a tight race with Charlie Shepherd by a margin of 538 votes (52.28%) to 488, respectively. Unlike the rest of the contested races, Shoshone County failed to choose the overall winner in this race, as Shepherd won with 52.14% of the district vote.
The remaining races on the Republican ballot were all uncontested. Jim Risch (1,014 local votes), who will meet Paulette Jordan in the general election for one of Idaho’s two U.S. Senator positions, State District 7 Senator Carl Crabtree (986), and the various candidates running for precinct committee positions were all victorious.