Voting in the age of COVID-19

Grant County voters proved their conservative credentials Tuesday by voting overwhelmingly for the presidential ticket of Republicans Donald Trump and Michael Pence over Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris: 2,267 to 1,299. The Trump/Pence ticket won every precinct in Grant County.

They also supported Republican Jason Lewis for U.S. Senator, over Tina Smith, 2,043 to 1,349.

Both Trump and Lewis lost in Minnesota however.

Grant County voters went with the majority in rejecting 7th District DFL Representative Collin Peterson in favor of Republican Michelle Fischbach, 1,750 to 1,685, in what was considered by many to be a major upset win for the Republicans.

All four West Central Area levy referendum questions went down in defeat. Question #1, to bond for a $33,825,000 elementary wing added to the Secondary facility in Barrett, failed 1,535 to 973.

Question #2 to build additional classrooms onto the Secondary School for labs, STEAM, and career technical education failed 1,262 to 1,211.

Question #3 to add space for fitness rooms, failed 1,552 to 926. And question #4 to upgrade outdoor athletic facilities, including the addition of a track and field complex, failed 1,519 to 954.

Three incumbents were returned to the WCA school board including Jeremiah Ulrich with 1,404 votes, Terry Christenson with 1,334 votes, and Gary Sabolik with 967 votes. The new school board member will be Karla Sanstead who picked up 832 votes.

Others running were Heather Johnson with 761 votes, Sheena Haack with 653 votes, Claire Vincent with 686 votes, Kesha Trinka with 421 votes, and Natasha Kaiser with 401 votes.

Chase Johnson, who had dropped out of the race, got 477 votes anyway.

Michelle Jenson won the race for Barrett mayor over Roger (Smitty) Smith, 148 to 62, and Patrick McGrath and Michael Krusemark were elected to the Hoffman City Council with 163 and 144 votes respectively. Joseph Blascyk picked up 142 votes, and Paul Hedstrom collected 134.

In Wendell, Darla Johnson was elected to one council seat, and Shelly Olson was elected city treasurer. Tanner Davison was elected mayor, and two council seats will be filled with write-in candidates once the mail-in ballots come in.

In the only contested town supervisor race, for Erdahl Township, Bonnie Waskosky beat Donald Hanson, 208 to 55.