In an election night that saw Democrat wins sweep the nation, Park County government remains 100% in Republican hands. Four candidates ran unopposed for the offices of Coroner, Assessor, Surveyor, and Treasurer. Republican Doc McKay won the District 3 Commissioner seat with 62% of the vote against Democrat Robert Porter. Clerk Debra Green faced write-in candidate Cheri Raskewiecz, but Green took almost 99% of the vote with only 67 votes cast for write-ins. Sheriff Fred Wegener, thrust into national media during the school shooting in September, faced two opponents. Libertarian Roger Easley won 910 votes, or 14%. All write-in votes cast, including votes for former Undersheriff Don Anthony, only amounted to 99 cast, or less than 2% of the total. Wegener won the election in a landslide of more than 84% of total votes.

Left to right: District 3 Commissioner-Elect Doc McKay, Clerk Debra Green, Treasurer Michelle Miller, Coroner Sharon Morris, Assessor Dave Wissel, Sheriff Fred Wegener. Not pictured - Surveyor Jack Kirby. (Photo courtesy PCRCC)

Park County has 12,480 registered voters. Of those, about 9,900 are considered "active voters" who either just registered this year or have voted in at least one election since 2004. There were 6,794 total ballots cast in this election and counted to date. (A few ballots are waiting for validation of signature, and about 80 provisional ballots remain uncounted pending verification of residence, identification and registration.) Of the total tabulated on election day, 888 were early voting ballots, 3,211 were cast at vote centers on election day, and 2,695 were cast as absentee.

Turnout was reported as heavy county-wide. As a percentage of total registered voters, 54% participated in this election. When calculated as a percentage of active voters, participation hits an even more impressive 69%.

The County Clerk's office has a deadline of November 27th to settle the remaining ballot verification questions and file a certified count with the Secretary of State.