Final local election results

A record 90,519 Kootenai County residents voted in the Nov. 3 election, and here's what they decided.

Sheriff candidate Bob Norris finished with 56,938 votes - 68.02 percent in a three-way race - to defeat Mike Bauer and Justin Nagle.

North Idaho College will have two newcomers joining conservative member Todd Banducci as trustees after Greg McKenzie and Michael Barnes easily defeated a pair of PhDs with long experience in college administration: Joe Dunlap and Paul Sturm, respectively. Barnes captured 61.04 percent of the vote, while McKenzie won with 54.38 percent.

In another race that was designated nonpartisan, the four winners in the Kootenai-Shoshone Soil and Water Conservation District are, in order of most votes, Laurin Scarcello, Wes Evans, John Minichino, Jr., and Linda J. Ely.

The proposal to increase vehicle registration fees by $50 per vehicle per year for 20 years was shot down by a 2-to-1 margin, with 56,301 voters saying no and 28,213 supporting the measure.

And Republicans kept a stronghold on all the legislative seats for District 2, 3 and 4. Democrat Shari Williams had the best showing of the challengers, with 35.49 percent, but she was easily held off by incumbent Sen. Mary Souza.

Not only was the vote total easily a county record, but voter registration made history, too, with 103,552 signing up this election season. That totaled an impressive turnout of 87.41 percent.

The Press wishes to thank all the poll workers, volunteers, Elections Office personnel and especially Clerk Jim Brannon for outstanding work this election season.

View the full results at https://www.kcgov.us/330/Results