Election is Tuesday

Although many people have already voted absentee, next Tuesday is the official day of this year’s primary election.

Seats are available on the Custer City Council, Hermosa Town Board, Fairburn Town Board and Custer County Commission. Two seats in the state House of Representatives and the Republican spot on the November General Election ballot are contested.

In the Custer City Council race, incumbent Carrie Moore will face challenger Todd Pechota for a two-year term on the council in Ward III.

There are two seats up for election on the Custer County Commission, which are four-year terms. In the race are incumbents Mark Hartman and Jesse Sorenson who are challenged by former commissioner Travis Bies of Fairburn, as well as Ellen Ballard of Buffalo Gap and Mark Steen of Hermosa. All candidates are Republicans.

The Town of Hermosa has a pair of seats up for    election for three-year terms, those belonging to current board president Vicki Henrichsen and current board member Terri Schumack. They are joined on the ballot by Brenda Maloun.

Fairburn’s election was initially scheduled for April 14, but legislation passed by the state legislature during a special session brought about by COVID-19 pushed all elections scheduled for April 14-May 25 to June 2. Sally Nordstrom and Bradley Mikkelson will square off for the three-year seat being vacated by Larry Livingston.

In the District 30 race for representative, incumbent Republican Tim Goodwin will seek re-election and will be joined by fellow Republicans Florence Thompson of Caputa, Kwinn Neff of Keystone and Trish Ladner of Hot Springs for two seats. There are no Democratic candidates.

For District 30 Senate, current Rep. Julie-Frye Mueller is looking to switch chambers of the legislature and will be challenged by current Hot Springs Mayor George Kotti in the primary. There are no Democratic candidates. The winner of the June 2 election will face Libertarian Gideon Oakes in the November general election.

In the statewide primary, Rep. Dusty Johnson faces Liz Marty May for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the race for one of South Dakota’s two U.S. Senate seats, current Sen. Mike Rounds will be challenged in the primary by fellow Republican Schyller Borglum of Rapid City, with the winner to face Dan Ahlers of Dell Rapids in the fall general election.

This year is also a presidential election year. Joe Biden will face Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination, although Sanders has suspended his campaign. Biden is expected to take on President Donald Trump in the general election.

Voters should note their polling location may have changed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Voting locations are as follows: Precinct No. 1-3  -Hermosa, United Church of Christ, 102 2nd St.

Precinct No. 4, No. 9 and No. 10 - Old weed and pest building, 25361 US Hwy. 385.

Precinct No. 5 - Sentinel Hill, No. 6 - Ward I, No. 7 - Ward II, No. 8 - Ward III, Custer Annex Building, 447 Crook St.

Combined elections included on the county ballots are: City of Custer Ward III, Fairburn Town Board and Hot Springs School District Board.

Any voter who needs assistance, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may contact the county auditor at 673-8173 before the election for information on polling place accessibility for people with disabilities.

County auditor Terri Cornelison said early voting has been brisk. There have been 1,600 absentee ballots requested thus far, with nearly 1,000 received back. Cornelison said during the primary two years ago, 500 people voted absentee and voter turnout is typically around 4,000 of the approximately 6,500 registered voters in the county.