Election Day is here
COEUR d’ALENE — Voters will make their voices heard today.
Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Every Kootenai County voter has something to vote on this election, whether it’s for a mayoral or city council race, a school district trustee race or a fire commissioner seat. The county’s $50 million open space bond will be on all ballots.
Unopposed candidates will not appear on the ballot. Voters must reside within city limits to vote in races for city offices. For school district trustees, only voters residing in a specific trustee zone can vote for the candidates in that zone.
“Not everybody is going to have a trustee on their ballot,” said Kootenai County Clerk Jennifer Locke. “If they voted on it two years ago, it won’t show up on the ballot this time.”
Voters who are unsure where to vote can use the “find your polling location” tool on voteidaho.gov or the “polling place look-up” tool on the county’s website, under www.kcgov.us/31/elections. Voters must vote at their designated polling places and cannot vote at the elections office today.
Locke urged voters to read ballot instructions carefully and make sure to fill out their ballots correctly.
It’s too late to mail completed absentee ballots because any ballots received after 8 p.m. Tuesday won’t be counted.
Until 8 p.m., completed absentee ballots can be hand-delivered to the elections office, 1808 N. Third St., Coeur d’Alene.
Elections staff will make every effort to have results tonight, but Locke said it’s difficult to gauge how long tabulation will take, especially because all ballots must be returned to the elections office to be counted.
“It all depends on how quickly the ballots get back to us,” Locke said. “We have from Harrison to Bayview.”
Because two write-in candidates are vying for the Subdistrict 2 seat on Northern Lakes Fire Protection District’s board of fire commissioners, that race’s results may take longer to count than others. When a write-in vote is received, it must be verified by a write-in board, which adds time to the counting process.
Above all, Locke encouraged voters to cast ballots today.
“Get out and vote,” she said. “We’re excited and we’re ready.”
Contested candidate races in Kootenai County
Athol mayor: Stephen Cutaiar, Benjamin J. Ruenger, Steven Ruch
Coeur d’Alene City Council — Seat 1: Christie Wood, Brian D. Winkler; Seat 3: Dan Gookin, Clark Albritton; Seat 5: Dan English, Roger Garlock, Rob Knutson
Dalton Gardens City Council, two seats: Justin Rupinski, Gary Sonnen, Susan Jean Supp
Fernan Lake Village City Council — Seat 2: Jim Myers, Heidi Acuff; Seat 3: Monica Noce, Zach Dircksen
Harrison City Council, three seats: Russel Riberich, John Gray, Dianna Lea John, Vincent Wilcox, Will Butler, Wayne Godsby, Brett Murdock, Charlie Shutt
Hayden — Mayor: Luke Sommer, Alan Davis; City Council Seat 3: Roger D. Saterfiel, Tom Shafer
Post Falls — City Council Seat 1: Bobby Wilhelm, James Steffensen, Samantha Steigleder; Seat 3: Joe Malloy, Rita Anderson; Seat 5: Joe Bodman, Randy Westlund, Cherilyn K. Towne
Rathdrum — Mayor: John R. Lamb, Mike Hill, Anthony Turrentine; City Council Seat 2: Larry Sanders, Steven Adams, Molly Bauer
Spirit Lake City Council, two seats: Kyle Bowlby, Eli Gosman, Kenny Gross, Zachary Neu, Charlene Phipps, Wendy Walter
Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, Subdistrict 4: Pam Houser, Tommy LaPonsey
Coeur d’Alene School District 271 — Trustee Zone 2: Jimmy McAndrews, Yasmin Harris, Mike Stavish; Trustee Zone 3: Heather Tenbrink, Matt Blatt
Lakeland Joint School District 272 — Trustee Zone 1: Randi Bain, Kyle Olmstead; Trustee Zone 2: Ramona Grissom, Cherish Hansen; Trustee Zone 3: Sheila Holfeltz, Michelle Thompson