Three votes separate Mike Hueston and Lyle K. (Pete) Owenby in the Republican primary for Bourbon County Commissioner District 1, according to the unofficial results the Bourbon County Clerk’s office posted after Tuesday’s primary election. Countywide, 2,908 ballots were cast.
The race is too close to call, and none of these numbers are final. Provisional ballots are not included in the unofficial totals; the county Board of Canvassers decides which of them count and makes the results official at the canvass, which the Bourbon County Monitor reports is scheduled for Aug. 17. The Monitor also reported that County Clerk Susan Walker said the number of outstanding provisional ballots would be released Wednesday. Under a recent change in Kansas law, mailed advance ballots had to be in by 7 p.m. on Election Day to count. FortScott.biz published a step-by-step walkthrough of how the county counts, reconciles and canvasses ballots in June.
County Commissioner: unofficial totals
District 1, Republican
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Hueston | 163 | 42.67% |
| Lyle K. (Pete) Owenby | 160 | 41.88% |
| Lisa Dillon | 59 | 15.45% |
The nominee will appear on the November general election ballot with Clinton L. Walker of Mapleton, unopposed in the Democratic primary.
District 1, Democratic
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|
| Clinton L. Walker | 88 | 100.00% |
District 3, Republican
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Allen | 307 | 65.60% |
| Josh Jones | 161 | 34.40% |
The results report lists Jones as Joshua Jones; he filed as Josh Jones. No Democrat filed for District 3; the Democratic primary line recorded six write-in votes.
District 4, Republican
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|
| Gregg Motley | 427 | 100.00% |
No Democrat filed for District 4; the Democratic line recorded 12 write-in votes.
Township clerk: unofficial totals
All township clerk candidates ran as Republicans; no Democrat filed for any township clerk office. Marion Township was the only contested race. In the county’s other townships no candidate filed, and those races recorded only scattered write-in votes.
| Township | Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Drywood | Laura Krom | 67 |
| Marion | Michael Ramsey | 100 |
| Marion | Brent M. Smith | 61 |
| Scott | Donald Banwart | 438 |
| Timberhill | Jennifer Epting Williams | 32 |
Contested precinct committee races: unofficial totals
Five Republican precinct committee races drew more than one candidate.
| Race | Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 7th Ward Committeeman | Robert S. Love | 79 |
| 7th Ward Committeeman | Michael Hoyt | 73 |
| Drywood Committeewoman | Vickie Shead | 67 |
| Drywood Committeewoman | Laura Krom | 18 |
| Marmaton D2 Committeeman | Jeffrey L. Reed | 68 |
| Marmaton D2 Committeeman | Micheal Bryant | 23 |
| Osage Committeeman | Marvin Creager | 47 |
| Osage Committeeman | Joshua Kee | 22 |
| Timberhill Committeeman | Timothy H. Emerson Sr. | 20 |
| Timberhill Committeeman | Brandon Whisenhunt | 18 |
What happens next
The Board of Canvassers will review provisional ballots before certifying the official results. In a race as close as the District 1 Republican primary, those ballots could matter. FortScott.biz will report the official totals after the canvass.
The full unofficial report, “Statement of Votes Cast by Geography,” is posted on the Bourbon County website. It also includes Bourbon County’s votes in the federal, state and statewide-ballot-question primaries; those contests are decided by voters beyond Bourbon County, and the county’s numbers alone do not determine their outcomes.