Fire District No. 1 Commissioner race mistakenly included in City of Waterville ballots; Voters can still use ballots to vote in November 7 General Election.
The Douglas County Elections Office discovered that a fire district commissioner race was mistakenly included in the November 7 General Election ballot sent to 832 voters within the City of Waterville.
Thad Duvall, Douglas County Auditor, explained that the Fire District No. 1 commissioner race between two candidates—Samuel Tonseth and Adam Brown—was inadvertently included on the ballot based on an incorrect election boundary map.
“The boundary for Fire District No. 1 was created a long time ago and the City of Waterville is not within the boundary,” Duvall said. “Even though the fire station is located within the City of Waterville, the City contracts with Fire 1 for fire services but they are not within the fire district.”
The error is confined to ballots issued within the City of Waterville. “Given the limited time before Election Day, it isn’t feasible for us to issue new ballots to voters in the City of Waterville,” said Duvall. “Voters in this precinct can still use the ballot they received to vote in the November 7 General Election.”
Since the Fire District No. 1 race was not intended to appear on the precinct 205 City of Waterville ballot, Elections staff will not count votes cast in that race while ensuring the accurate count of all other measures appearing on the ballot.
Returning Your Completed Ballot
Voters are encouraged to return ballots either by mail or at one of the eight drop box locations across the County.
- Mail: Use the prepaid affidavit envelope that came with your ballot to mail your ballot to the Douglas County Elections Department.
- Drop Box: Place your ballot in one of the convenient, 24-hour ballot drop box locations within Douglas County. All drop boxes close at 8PM on Election Day.
For more information about the November 7 General Election, visit the Current Election page on the Douglas County website or call 509-888-6402.