OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — In the spring primary election on Tuesday, voters in Winnebago County narrowed down the race for county executive, advancing two candidates to the April ballot.
- The Winnebago County Clerk’s office had the unofficial results of the spring primary election counted around 8:45 p.m.
- Gordon Hintz had a strong showing, earning the most votes in the primary race for county executive.
- Unofficial results show 14,669 residents cast a ballot
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, edited for web)
“Sometimes it’s these littler elections that matter just as much or maybe even more,” Nancy Leatherwood said.
Steve and Nancy Leatherwood are among county residents who voted in Oshkosh.
“My opinion matters," Steve said. "I think it’s my civic duty."
In addition to state superintendent, voters in Winnebago County narrowed down the race for county executive.
There were three candidates on the ballot: incumbent Jon Doemel, Winnebago County Sheriff John Matz and former minority leader for state assembly Gordon Hintz.
Doemel and Hintz received the most of the votes, so they will appear on the April ballot.
The elected candidate will serve for four years.
“It's an important position,” county clerk Julie Barthels said.
Barthels said she’s seen an overall upward trend in voter turnout.
“More and more people are becoming interested and care about who their representatives are,” she said.
But for spring primaries, she said there’s never a huge showing.
This year, 14,669 ballots were cast, compared to the 95,642 cast in the general election last November and 31,358 ballots cast in the spring election last April.
“I’’m becoming more aware of the impact of local elections,” Oshkosh voter Heath Ziebell said. “I know that this is kind of a smaller one, but I know that those are equally as important.”
