Dahl Memorial, town levies approved again by voters

Countywide voter turnout for the primary election on Tuesday was nearly sixty-three percent, down from 73 percent in 2020. In total, 579 ballots were cast from the county's 922 registered voters. Precinct 14 (Rural Ekalaka) had the best voter turnout at 67 percent, Precinct 3 (Hammond) had a 66 percent turnout, Precinct 13 (Ekalaka) had a 59 percent turnout and Precinct 1 (Alzada) had the lowest turnout at 55 percent.

Carter County residents voted in favor of the Dahl Memorial Special Mill Levy which will raise $260,000 for the healthcare facility during both fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The vote total in favor of the levy was 303 (54 percent). Two hundred sixty-three voters opposed the levy. Sixty-one percent of voters approved a levy for the same amount in 2020.

A Livestock Predator Mill Levy of $75,000 each year for the next four years passed by a wider margin with 376 votes for and 189 against.

Precinct 13 (Ekalaka) voted on three additional levies in the Primary. The Town of Ekalaka Parks Levy passed with 99 votes for and 48 against. The library levy passed with 100 votes for and 49 against and the Emswiler Swimming Pool Levy also passed with 91 votes for and 57 against.

Unofficial results show that Pam Castleberry won the local race to become the District 2 Republican nominee for Carter County Commissioner this November. Castleberry defeated incumbent Steve Rosencranz by 145 votes. The unofficial vote count was Castleberry 348, Rosencranz 203.

There were no other local races in Tuesday's primary. Judy Wright received 471 votes for Carter County Clerk & Recorder/Public Administrator/Surveyor on the Republican ballot. Corbit S. Harrington received 410 for County Attorney on the Republican ballot and Jesi Pierson received 513 (the highest vote total of the night in Carter County) for County Treasurer/Assessor on the Republican ballot.

Bill D'Alton received 82 votes for Montana Supreme Court Justice #1 and Jim Rice had 326. For Supreme Court Justice #2, James Brown was the top vote getter in Carter County with 281 votes, Ingrid Gustafson had 88 and Michael F. McMahon had 69.

For United States Representative 2nd Congressional District Matt Rosendale received most of Carter County's votes on the Republican ticket with 457. Kyle Austin had 28 votes, James Boyette had 15 and Charles A. Walkingchild had 14. On the Democratic ticket Penny Ronning received 8 votes and Mark Sweeney and Skylar Williams each had 4.

No Libertarian ballots were cast in Carter County on Tuesday.

Running unopposed on the Republican ticket was incumbent Kenneth Bogner for State Senator from District 19. Bogner received 460 votes in Carter County. Also unopposed on the Republican side, incumbent Jerry Schillinger received 473 votes for State Representative from District 37.

Statewide results can be found on the Montana Secretary of State website. Full county results are shown at right.