Smith wins commissioner seat, Armstrong unseats Jones in Blackford County election
Republican Shane Smith won the District 2 seat on the Blackford County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. He beat independent Dennis Layman 1,629 votes to 1,179, according to the county’s unofficial Election Summary Report.
Smith took 58.01% of the vote. Layman took 41.99%.
All 12 precincts reported. The results remain unofficial until the county election board certifies them.
School board
Kerra Armstrong defeated school board president Phil Jones in District 3. Armstrong, listed on the ballot as a Republican, received 1,676 votes (62.21%). Jones received 1,018 (37.79%).
District 1 was the closest race on the county ballot. Kyle J. Pitts, listed as a Republican, beat independent Melinda Huber by 89 votes. Pitts received 1,461 votes (51.57%). Huber received 1,372 (48.43%).
Scott Malott ran unopposed in District 2 and received 2,049 votes.
County council
Republicans won all four county council seats on the ballot.
District 1: Jeff Whetzel (R) defeated Ashlee Beeman (D), 483 to 273 (63.89% to 36.11%).
District 2: Heather Scaggs (R) ran unopposed and received 447 votes.
District 3: Deb Grider (R) defeated John Velasquez (D), 580 to 277 (67.68% to 32.32%).
District 4: Kyle Lechien (R) ran unopposed and received 718 votes.
Turnout
Voters cast 3,189 ballots. The county has 7,978 registered voters, for a turnout of 39.97%.
More than half of all ballots were cast before Election Day. Walk-in absentee voters cast 1,560 ballots. Paper absentee voters cast 83. Election Day voters cast 1,546.
Straight-party voting accounted for 957 ballots. Of those, 752 were straight Republican and 205 were straight Democratic.
Uncontested county offices
Six Republicans ran without opponents:
Prosecuting Attorney, 71st Judicial Circuit: Aaron M. Henderson, 2,365 votes
Auditor: Lisa Flint Simmons, 2,352
Sheriff: Jim Heflin, 2,353
Coroner: Adam Solga, 2,356
Surveyor: Chris Green, 2,334
Assessor: Sheila Hyer, 2,309
Township races
Four township trustees ran unopposed: Kimberly Twibell in Harrison (498 votes), Jennifer Kaufman in Jackson (265), Stephen Hurd in Licking (1,362) and Courtney Lechien in Washington (238). All four are Republicans.
Harrison Township had three candidates for three board seats. Debra Penrod (R) received 331 votes, Joel Neff (R) 312 and Lucrethia Altman (D) 177.
Licking Township had two candidates for three board seats. Amy S. Lathem (R) received 939 votes. Gloria J. Mahan (D) received 757.
No candidates filed for the Jackson Township or Washington Township boards. Each board had three seats on the ballot.
Jay County School Board
A small number of Blackford County voters cast ballots in Jay County School Board races. These totals cover only Blackford County voters. Final outcomes depend on ballots cast in Jay County.
In District 2, Blackford County voters split evenly. Tom E. Crouch, listed as a Republican, and Desiree (Desi) Brown each received 11 votes.
In District 3, Donna Geesaman received 12 votes. Kendra McLaughlin, listed as a Republican, received 8.
Ronald J. Laux, listed as a Republican, ran unopposed in District 5 and received 17 votes.
State and federal races
The totals below reflect Blackford County voters only. Final outcomes depend on results from other counties.
Race | Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
U.S. House, District 3 | Marlin A. Stutzman (R) | 2,005 | 66.46% |
Kelly Thompson (D) | 1,008 | 33.41% | |
Write-in | 4 | 0.13% | |
State Senate, District 19 | Blake Fiechter (R) | 2,037 | 67.41% |
Timothy C. Murphy (D) | 985 | 32.59% | |
State House, District 33 | John (J.D.) Prescott (R) | 1,957 | 64.93% |
John E. Bartlett (D) | 1,057 | 35.07% | |
Secretary of State | Max Engling (R) | 1,744 | 56.72% |
Beau Bayh (D) | 1,103 | 35.87% | |
Greg Ballard (LIN) | 126 | 4.10% | |
Lauri A. Shillings (L) | 102 | 3.32% | |
State Comptroller | Elise Nieshalla (R) | 1,913 | 63.34% |
Jessica Bailey (D) | 922 | 30.53% | |
John Schick (L) | 185 | 6.13% | |
Treasurer of State | Daniel Elliott (R) | 2,083 | 69.55% |
Coumba Kebe (D) | 912 | 30.45% |
Public questions
Blackford County voters approved both statewide public questions.
Right to Bail: Yes 1,853 (67.63%), No 887 (32.37%)
Judge Residence: Yes 1,907 (64.58%), No 1,046 (35.42%)
Judicial retention
Blackford County voters favored retaining all four judges on the ballot.
Court of Appeals District 2, Kenworthy: Yes 69.59%
Court of Appeals District 4, DeBoer: Yes 68.79%
Court of Appeals District 5, Felix: Yes 67.99%
Indiana Tax Court, McAdam: Yes 67.87%
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