Voting Turnout Low For County During Primary
Roosevelt County commissioners discussed the low turnout for the primary election during their weekly meeting held on Tuesday, June 9.
Only 22.37 percent of the county’s 5,952 voters case their ballot in the June 2 primary election. The statewide voting turnout was 37 percent.
A local resident mentioned the financial waste of the election because the county has to destroy all the ballots that weren’t utilized.
Commissioner Robert Toavs agreed that it’s a lot of waste, but the county has to offer the maximum amount of ballots.
“The sad fact is people aren’t using their constitutional rights,” Toavs said of people not voting.
Voting turnout for area counties in the recent primary included 41.85 percent for Valley, 38.17 percent for Richland and 54.55 percent for Sheridan.
For the general election of 2024, Roosevelt County saw 64.96 percent of its registered voters cast their ballots. The state figure was 76.57 percent. Other counties included McCone at 87.18, Valley at 79.83, Sheridan at 78.51 and Richland at 70.37 percent.
Voting turnout for Roosevelt County in previous years included 45.85 in 2022, 67.55 in 2020, 58 in 2018 and 66 in 2016.
Commissioners approved 15 Durabooks for $74,072 for the sheriff’s office.
The county also is purchasing the Guardian RFID software for a little more than $5,000 annually. The software will help track services given to inmates and reduce liability issues.
Commissioners agreed to write a letter of support for the Department of Transportation to perform a Fort Peck Rail Corridor Safety Study.
“It’s to do a study to make a safer corridor,” Oelkers explained.
Pay raises were approved for road department employee Dennie Reum, dispatch employee Marissa Follet, detention center employees Thomas Blackeagle and Ernesto Hernandez, and clerk and recorder employees Marlene Turner, Josh Hutchinson and Vicky Boysun. Darold Wolff was hired for the weed department.
