Dinstel defeats Watkins

Countywide voter turnout for Tuesday's primary election was fifty-eight percent, about average for a primary election over the last 10 years. In 2022, sixty-three percent of voters turned out for the primary. In total, 555 ballots were cast from the county's 952 resistered voters this year. Precinct 1 (Alzada) had the best voter turnout at 64 percent, Precinct 3 (Hammond) had a 63 percent turnout, Precinct 14 (Rural Ekalaka) had a 60 percent turnout and Precinct 13 (Ekalaka) had the lowest turnout at 52 percent.

Dan Dinstel became the unofficial District 3 Republican nominee for Carter County Commissioner this November after defeating incumbent Mike Watkins by twenty-four votes in Tuesday's primary. The unofficial vote count was Dinstel 258, Watkins 234. Watkins has served one term as commissioner after winning the republican nomination by one vote in 2018.

Carter County residents voted against the Dahl Memorial Special Mill Levy which would have raised $260,000 for the healthcare facility during both fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The vote total in favor of the levy was 232. Two hundred ninety-three voters opposed the levy. In 2022, the same levy passed with 303 votes in favor and 263 against. In fact, 2022 was the closest the levy had been to failing in at least the last 10 years; it passed with 329 votes in favor and 129 votes against in 2014.

The local government study review for Carter Country in which voters were asked if they wanted to elect a commission to study possible changes to the county government and spend tax dollars to pay for it was turned down. Two hundred thirty-four citizen's were in favor and 271 were against it.

Precinct 13 (Ekalaka) voted on three additional levies in the primary. The Town of Ekalaka Parks Levy passed with 89 votes for and 57 against. The library levy passed with 95 votes for and 49 against and the Emswiler Swimming Pool Levy also passed with 89 votes for and 58 against. Ekalaka voters also voted in favor of creating a study commission to review their city government. The government review proposition for Ekalaka passed with 74 votes in favor and 60 votes against.

There were no other local races in Tuesday's primary. Tracey Walker received 450 votes as a republican incumbent for Clerk of District Court/Superintendent of Schools.

Statewide results can be found on the Montana Secretary of State website. Full county results will be published next week.