Voters will narrow field at primary

Trisha Benton Randolph Times

RANDOLPH – With an overabundance of choices, the May primary will serve as a way to eliminate some candidates for Randolph Public School Board and Randolph City Council.

Cedar County Clerk Jessica Schmit said there are more than double the amount of candidates for the amount of seats for both local races - eight candidates for three school board seats and five for two city council seats.

The May primary ballot will allow voters to vote for three for school board and the top six will move on to the general election ballot. For the city council race, voters will vote for two and four of the five candidates will advance.

“I think it’s good people want to be involved; the more candidates, the better,” said Cedar County Clerk Jessica Schmit.

Kayla Korth, Thomas Wise, Brandon Backhaus and Todd Greiner are the latest to file for a Randolph city council seat while Walter Worlein filed Feb. 22.

Korth has lived in Randolph her entire life, left for college and returned where she works at Colonial Manor and Providence Medical Center, Wayne, as a speech language pathologist.

“I am now raising my family here and we take great pride in our community,” she said. “I want to run for a council seat to be sure together we are focusing on the best future for our community.”

She’s never run for public office before but she’s active in the community, serving on the Cardinal Kids Learning Center Board of Directors; an EMT for Randolph Rescue; and last year, became a USA certified umpire to help at home games and tournaments.

Wiese has never run for public office before but is currently on the city’s Planning Commission board.

He said he wanted to run for council “to be part of the community more.” Backhaus has previously served one term on the council.

Greiner previously served as Randolph’s police chief and is now employed as a deputy with the Cedar County sheriff’s office.

On the school board, Chris Winkelbauer is the latest candidate to file. He joins incumbent Cody Backer, Tiffany Gatzemeyer, Anson Dockhorn, Corby Robinson, Lucas Stueckrath, Ted Thelen and Marvin Nordhues on the ballot.

Phone messages left for Backhaus, Greiner and Winkelbauer were not returned by press time.

A school board candidate forum is being planned prior to the May primary to give voters a chance to meet candidates.

The contested race for Cedar County commissioner’s District 2 race will be decided at primary as both candidates - Mike Meier, Laurel, and John Thelen, Randolph - filed as Republicans.

John Thelen said he was born and raised in rural Randolph and will live out the rest of his days in the area.

Engaged in farming, he has experience running his own business and managing employees and financials.

“I figured it would be a good fit for the county,” he said on his reason for running.

John Thelen is an active member of the Central States Hart-Parr Oliver Collectors Association.

He hasn’t held a public office before but this is the second time John Thelen has filed for the seat. He challenged Craig Bartels in the 2020 primary election.

Bartels is the current District 2 commissioner.

He originally filed for re-election Jan. 5 but then withdrew from the race.

District 2 covers all of southern Cedar County, including the communities of Belden and Randolph.

Voters will also see the race for Nebraska Board of Regents on the ballot.

Jim Scheer is running unopposed for that seat and represents the northeast Nebraska region.

Village board races in Belden and Magnet appear on the November ballot only so filing deadlines are later this summer.

For everyone else, the deadline has passed.

The only way for a new candidate to get their name on the primary ballot is to file as a write-in with a deadline of May 3.

A notorized affidavit must be submitted to the clerk’s office in order for write-in votes to be counted.

Several deadlines for people wishing to vote in the 2024 May primary election are fast approaching.

Anyone wishing to register to vote online or through the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles must do so by April 29.

People can still register to vote in person at the county clerk’s office through May 3.

For voters in Cedar County, primary election ballots will be mailed April 24 and need to be returned to the county clerk’s office by 8 p.m., May 14.

To comply with the new Voter ID law, voters need to write their driver’s license number of state ID number on the ballot return envelope or enclose a photocopy of an acceptable form of ID.

Those residing in Pierce County will appear at their polling place on Election Day and present an acceptable form of photo ID to comply with new Voter ID regulations.