O’Neill, Kinzer will be on primary ballot

The race for Whitman County commissioner from District 2 will be on the August primary ballot.

With only two candidates, Democrat incumbent Pat O’Neill of Johnson and Republican farmer Dean Kinzer of rural Pullman, county elections officials initially figured the office would not need to be on the “top two” primary ballot.

State elections officials last week told Debbie Hooper, county elections supervisor, that assumption was wrong.

“Because it’s a partisan race, it will have to be on the ballot,” said Hooper. “We have to do it. It’s law.”

So the county will prepare 4,400 ballots for District 2 voters.

Cost for the three envelopes to send and secure ballots is 29 cents per ballot, with postage at 17.5 cents per ballot. The county has not yet received an invoice for the cost of printing the actual ballot.

That brings the cost of the District 2 primary to $2,046 plus the cost of printing the ballots.

The “top two” primary system, instituted in 2010, uses the primary election to advance the two candidates who receive the most votes to the general election in November.

The District 1 commissioner race drew three candidates, all Republicans. They include incumbent Greg Partch of Garfield, Art Swannack, a farmer from Lamont and Bill Tensfeld, fire chief and businessman at Rosalia.

The primary will narrow the field in District 1 to two for the general election.