By A little more than 17% of registered voters in Brown County cast ballots in the Tuesday, June 4 primary election.
Of 26,299 eligible voters, 4,568 went to the polls, according to the Brown County Auditor’s Office, which tracks active and inactive voters. That totaled 17.37% voter turnout.
A voter walks into the Brown County Courthouse Annex to cast her ballot in the primary election Tuesday, June 4. Aberdeen Insider photo by Scott Waltman.
The South Dakota secretary of state’s website tracks only active voters — 25,046 in Brown County. That resulted in a 17.82% voter turnout.
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Brown County Auditor Lynn Heupel said turnout was about average as 18% to 20% of voters generally cast ballots in a primary election.
All registered Republicans in Brown County had a county commission race and at least one legislative race to decide.
The only item on the ballot for local Democrats was the presidential nominee. Not surprisingly, Joe Biden won handily both in Brown County and statewide.
Statewide, Biden collected 75% of the vote. The Brown County results follow.
- *Biden: 524 (67%)
- Dean Phillips: 111 (14%)
- Marrianne Williamson: 105 (13%)
- Armando Perez-Serrato: 38 (4%)
Brown County Republicans decided who the Precinct 2 committeewoman would be. Carol Schaunaman had 99 votes to Jaclynn M. Donne’s 15.
Stephanie Jacobson, senior deputy auditor and election coordinator for the Brown County Auditor’s Office, watches ballots as they are tabulated Tuesday, June 4 at the Brown County Courthouse. More than 4,500 Brown County voters cast ballots in the primary election. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand.
A few nearby counties also had races for commission seats. Those results follow.
Day County Commission Fourth Precinct
- *Roy Aldrich, 102 (66%)
- Jim Walter, 53 (34%)
Aldrich now advances to the November ballot where he faces Colin R. Johnson, D-Webster, and Amy Fischer, I-Webster.
McPherson County Commission Second Precinct
- *Michael J. Mardian: 98 (54%)
- Bruce Mack: 58 (32%)
- Peggy Bieber: 27 (15%)
Mardian is unopposed in November.
Faulk County Commission, two at-large seats
- *Bruce Edger: 427 (45%)
- *Lee A. Hansen: 320 (34%)
- Alexander Thomas: 195 (21%)
Edger and Hansen are unopposed in November.
Three counties reject requiring hand-counting
In other parts of the state, voters in three counties were asked if they wanted to prohibit the use of voter tabulation machines during elections. A petition asking that question was filed in McPherson County, but commissioners rejected it as they felt it conflicted with state law.
Voters in Tripp, Haaken and Gregory counties all rejected hand-counting proposals Tuesday.
- Tripp County: 733-553 against
- Gregory County: 587-509 against
- Haakon County: 276-177 against