Story County certifies June 9 primary; clerk reports 1,339 votes and no irregularities

The Story County Board of Commissioners approved the final canvas for the June 9, 2026 primary election on June 16 after a presentation by County Clerk and Treasurer Jim Hindle and election staff.

Hindle reported 1,339 total votes cast out of 3,695 registered voters in the county and gave a breakdown of party participation. He noted that Republican turnout comprised a majority of the votes cast in this primary and that approximately one in two registered Republicans participated; nonpartisan participation was lower. He told the board that election staff had no concerns about irregularities and that the district attorney's office likewise raised no issues.

Hindle summarized county contests: Debbianne Foremani won the Republican primary for Commissioner District 2 and will be unopposed on the November ballot; Melanie Brandingham won the contested Republican race for district attorney and will also appear without opposition in the fall. Sheriff Michael Cullen's nonpartisan contest was uncontested, which means that contest will be concluded and not appear on the November ballot; three school board seats were likewise uncontested.

"Their key takeaway is that there were no issues, no irregularities," Hindle said, summarizing the DA's review of the process. The board voted unanimously to approve the abstract and to permit the clerk to transmit the official materials to the Secretary of State.

What it means: The primary outcomes set the county's roll of candidates heading to the November general ballot; election staff said procedural changes and outreach prior to the vote worked smoothly and turnout patterns tracked party registration and statewide trends.

Next steps: The clerk will forward the abstract to the Secretary of State and continue voter outreach and cleaning of voter rolls in advance of the general election.