Time For Voters To Get Their Say In Primaries

While candidates have been scrambling to get the word out on their views and opinions, this will be the last week of campaigning for some as the primary ballots go to voters June 3. Absentee ballots also have already made their way through the mailboxes.

Valley County voters will only have a couple of races where the field will be trimmed to two candidates for the general election in November.

Justice of peace candidates are Christine Gamas, Dave Gorton, Christina Hillman, Ronald Kulczyk, David McLean and Mary Strand.

Another race in the primary for county voters is the county commissioner, District 1 position. Dan Carr, Russell Dahl and Paul Tweten face each other for Dave Pippin's position at the primary. Only two candidates will move on to the final election.

While the primaries won't shave off a candidate for the county sheriff/coroner position, Glenn Meier and Joe Horn will face off in a second election battle for that job in November.

Other non-contested positions are Lynne Nyquist for the county clerk and recorder, Nickolas Murnion for county attorney, LeRoy Kountz for public administrator and Brenda Anderson for county treasurer.

On a non-partisan state scale voters will decide on Jim Rice and W. David Herbert for supreme court justice, Justice 1, and Mike Wheat and Lawrence Vandyke for Justice 2. A non-contested vote on the federal and state ticket will go to Travis Kavulla to continue his service as the public service commissioner, for District 1.

Republicans will not see anyone on the ticket for state representative this year In District 31, but Democrats will have a choice between Bill Whitehead and Bridget Smith. District 33 will chose between Mike Lang-R and Floyd Hopstad-D in the final vote in November. Those in district 34 will choose between Gene Hartsock-D and Austin Knudsen-R in the final vote.

On the Democratic ballot, voters will chose between Dirk Adams, John Bohlinger and John Walsh for the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. representative hopefuls are John Lewis and John Driscoll.

Republicans will have a choice of Susan Cundiff, Steve Daines and Champ Edmunds for U.S. Senate. The GOP has five choices for U.S. representative: Elsie Arntzen, Matt Rosendale, Corey Stapleton, Drew Turanio and Ryan Zinke.

Issues on the local ballot will include a levy for an additional 2 mills per year for the Glasgow City-County library. The levy would raise approximately $51,784 for the fiscal years 2015-16 through 2019-20 for construction, maintenance and improvements. The impact would be close to $5 per $100,000 of taxable market value of a home.

Voters will decide whether or not an additional 10 mill levy should be approved, raising around $222,740 for the next 10 fiscal years, beginning in 2014-15. The levy would raise funds for construction, maintenance and improvements to public highways. The impact would be around $25 for a home valued at $100,000.

County voters will also chose whether or not they want a review of the government and establish up to $10,000 funding to examine and submit recommendations on how the local government operates. Glasgow, Fort Peck, Nashua and Opheim will vote on similar reviews.

Voter polls will be at the Fort Peck Recreation Hall starting at 7 a.m. for Precinct 1.

Frazer, or Precinct 2, will be at the new Community Hall, starting at noon.

Hinsdale, or Precinct 3 will be at the Hinsdale Legion Hall starting at noon.

Glasgow voters in precincts 4 and 5 will vote at the Glasgow Civic Center staring at 7 a.m.

Nashua voters, or Precinct 6, will head to the senior center starting at noon.

Voters in Lustre, or Precinct 7, will head to Lustre Elementary School starting at noon.

Voters in Opeheim, or Precinct 8 voter, will head to Norval Electric Co-op starting at noon.

All polls close at 8 p.m.