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Commissioners vote unanimously to align Richland County precincts with school districts for 2026
Summary
The Richland County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 19 to change voting precinct boundaries to match school district lines for the 2026 ballot after county staff warned a decision was needed to comply with recent state legislation about bond questions on school ballots.
Sandy Fossum, Richland County auditor/administrator, told the board Aug. 19 that the Secretary of State’s office needs a decision soon on precinct boundaries for 2026 because recent legislation requires school districts to have bond-related questions on the county ballot. Commissioner Nathan Berseth moved to change voting precincts to match school districts across Richland County; Commissioner Rollie Ehlert seconded the motion. The board voted unanimously to approve the change.
The action was taken under unfinished business; the transcript records no dissent and does not list any recorded abstentions. Fossum noted the scheduling urgency to comply with state requirements but the transcript does not identify a specific statute or cite a statutory number. The attestation sheet appended to the meeting minutes lists Sandy Fossum as Auditor/Administrator and shows Tim Campbell as Chairperson, though the meeting record earlier states Tim Campbell was absent from the Aug. 19 meeting.
Next steps were not specified in the transcript; the Secretary of State’s office and county election staff will be involved in updating precinct maps and ballots for 2026. No timeline, cost estimates, or implementation details were recorded in the meeting minutes.
