Write-ins delay count, Wheeler wins

With a flood a write-in ballots for several races, election officials had to count through the night to determine the winners of county elections, with the final totals released about 11:30 a.m.

In the final unofficial results, Jeff Connolly garnered 16,023 votes and Dan McDonald had 15,536 votes respectively for the District 2 and District 3 county commission seats. Both ran unopposed for their Bonner County Commission seats.

Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler won in an impromptu rematch of his earlier primary contest against Terry Ford, a moderate whom Wheeler also bested in the May Republican primary. Ford encouraged voters to support him as a write-in candidate against the constitutional sheriff, which contributed to the write-in logjam at county election headquarters.

Wheeler again defeated Ford, 13,533 to 4,862/Bonner County Daily Bee. More here.