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Commissioners agree to let voters decide whether county elections should be nonpartisan
Summary
A local study commission recommended placing a nonpartisan-election measure on the November ballot after survey work; the board voted to allow voters to decide, citing the study commission's findings despite low absolute response counts.
The Daniels County Commission voted to place a question on the November ballot asking whether local elections should be nonpartisan, following a recommendation from the Local Government Study Commission.
Joanne Bjarco, chair of the study commission, told the board that the commission had met monthly for more than a year and conducted two surveys. "We feel we got a very clear reading that citizens of Daniels County want nonpartisan elections," she said, and presented survey response counts and follow-up steps. Commissioners discussed turnout and whether the sample size represented the county's electorate — one commissioner observed that survey respondents represented a small share of the county population — but a motion to allow the ballot question carried.
Bjarco outlined next steps: a tentative report and a town-hall presentation set for April 14 at 6 p.m. in the Newmont Friendship Room, additional public hearings in August for education and a final report in December. The commission noted an August 1 deadline to place ballot items with the election administrator. The county approved Resolution 2026-8 to let voters decide in the next election cycle if the ballot measure is adopted.
