Candidates cut from races as primary votes are tallied up
Voters have spoken and after yesterday’s primaries, the field of candidates for city council seats around the county has been narrowed.
Elections were held in Logan, Smithfield and Providence.
In Logan, four of six candidates will continue through the primaries for two city council seats.
Nearly 16 percent of registered voters in Logan turned out for the election.
Val Ewell, Robert Horning and incumbent Laraine Swenson were on the ballot for seat number one. Swenson, receiving 1,108 votes, and Ewell, 607, will compete for the seat in the General Election. Horning received 190 votes.
Candidates for council seat number three were Jay Monson, Joseph Needham, incumbent, and Bryan Nielsen. Monson and Needham made it through the primary receiving 1,233 and 628 votes respectively. Nielsen received 88 votes.
Heading into local primaries yesterday, Logan City candidates said they were calm, believing the biggest challenge still lay ahead of them-General Elections on Nov. 6.
Swenson said she was not really worried about making it through the primaries and feels the November election will be a greater challenge.
“This next election will be a tougher race,” Swenson said.
Before the election results were announced, Horning said he wasn’t worried about the final numbers.
“You just can’t get all worked up over it. It is what it is,” he said.
He also said that no matter the results, his voice would continue to be heard.
Eight candidates were on the ballot in Smithfield, including three incumbents. With 605 votes cast, 12.1 percent of the city’s registered voters, six people will continue to the General Election. Those entering the General Election are Michael Oliverson, with 331 votes; William “Dee” Wood, 295; Janice Mikkelsen, 285; Brent Buttars, 241; Chris Daines, 233; and Deon Hunsaker, receiving 168 votes.
Mark Rasmuson, USU student, and Erik Brandenburg will not be on the ballot in the General Election receiving the least amount of votes, 124 and 74 respectively.
Rasmuson said he is not devastated by the loss and has no regrets. He said he knew he was running against many qualified and competent people.
“You win some, you lose some,” he said.
This loss, however, will not deter him from his civic duty, he said.
“I still plan on being an active citizen as long as I live in Smithfield. I will still vote. I am not going to be a fair-weather citizen,” Rasmuson said.
If he is still living in Smithfield during the next election year, Rasmuson said he might run for a city council seat again. If there is a next time, he said he would better articulate his position on issues. He also hopes that voters might take him more seriously.
Election results in Providence are still unofficial. Due to 49 provision ballots, official numbers will not be available until Sept. 18, said Skarlet Bankhead, city administrator and recorder of Providence. Those 49 votes, Bankhead said, could change the outcome of the primaries.
Bankhead said the provision ballots were cast by people who were not in the voter registration book. Their ballots were sent to the county clerk who verifies the voters’ registrations.
The top six candidates will be in the General Election.
The unofficial numbers for the primaries in Providence are: Sharell Eames, 693; Linda Goetze, 641; Don Calderwood, 618; Ronald Liechty, 430; John Russell, 379; David Gordon Low, 374; Val Simmons, 355; Diana Hatfield, 311; Dale Astle, 302; and Donald Briel, 254.
Thirty-six percent of Providence’s registered voters turned out for Tuesday’s vote.
-arie.k@aggiemail.usu.edu