New voter turnout record set in Bonner County
Residents register to vote Tuesday night at Sandpoint Community Hall.
(Photo by RACHEL SUN)
SANDPOINT — Bonner County voters set a new turnout record during Tuesday's general election, according to Clerk Michael Rosedale.
Rosedale said 27,681 of the county's 31,223 registered voters cast ballots on Election Day, resulting in a voter turnout of 88.66 percent.
That turnout eclipses a record that was set in 2016, when 21,586 of the county's 26,758 registered voters cast ballots, resulting in a turnout of 80.67 percent, Rosedale said.
Despite the use of new equipment, Rosedale said the count went "very smoothly."
"There are a zillion ways it could have crashed but it didn’t," Rosedale said.
Rosedale offered thanks to voters for the civility and patience during what is shaping up to be the most heavily scrutinized. He is also thanking the U.S. Postal Service in Bonner County.
"They really tried hard to get us everything. They did a good job," said Rosedale.
Rosedale said there was one formal complaint to the Secretary of State from a voter who was asked to remove a election-themed hat or button and he heard of another anecdotal complaint.
None of the races in Bonner County were close enough to trigger a recount.
Statewide, Republican counties stayed red and Democrat counties stayed blue.
"The blues won big in blue (counties) and the reds won big in the reds," he said.
Bonner County solidified its status as a red county during the election.
According to unofficial results, 18,369 voters cast ballots for incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, while 8,310 voted for former Vice President Joe Biden.
All down-ballot races in Bonner County also favored Republicans.
Absentee balloting did not appear to cause heartburn in Bonner County. Rosedale noted that a post to social media lauded Idaho's absentee voting system as one of the best in the country.
"Everybody seemed to have a pretty good reaction to the absentee/early voting," said Rosedale.
Rosedale added that voters who wished to vote at their polling precinct could exchange an absentee ballot for an in-person ballot and cast it in a traditional manner.
"People seemed to be pretty appreciative of that," he said.
Tuesday's vote will become official when it's canvassed at 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, at the Bonner County Administration Building.
Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com or followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee