Proposition 1 was soundly defeated, the Constitutional Amendment passed, Sheriff Norris easily secured a second term, and all three NIC trustee seats were won by SaveNIC backed candidates.
COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho — Unofficial results in the 2024 General election have been released on the Idaho Secretary of State Vote Idaho website. Kootenai County’s final numbers didn’t come in until 6:51 a.m. on Wednesday, November 6.
Statewide, Proposition 1 didn’t even get as many YES votes as Kamala Harris, indicating that Idahoans are strongly opposed to “open primaries” and ranked-choice voting. The amendment to the Idaho Constitution ensuring only U.S. citizens can vote in any election in Idaho passed with 64.9% support. At the time of this publication, six small counties in Idaho had still not posted their final results.
There were 97,711 ballots cast in Kootenai County, an 86.8% voter turnout. 43% of the county’s registered voters cast their ballots before Election Day; 19,615 took advantage of early voting, while 22,487 voted via absentee ballot. Of the four Legislative Districts in the county, District 3 had the highest number of ballots cast before Election Day with 6,398 early votes and 7,690 absentee ballots returned, and across the county 55,619 citizen voters went to the polls on November 5.
In the hotly contested races for seats on the North Idaho College (NIC) Board of Trustees, voters did not re-elect the only incumbent on the ballot, Greg McKenzie; choosing first-time candidate Eve Knudtsen who won with an 11.5% margin over McKenzie. Rick Durbin defeated William Lyons with a 4.5% margin, and Mary Havercroft won with a 2.3% margin over Michael Angiletta. All three NIC winners were backed by North Idaho Republican founder Christa Hazel and her left-leaning SaveNIC nonprofit and its sister organization Save NIC Now.
It was an honor to serve and I’m pleased to see the colleges metric turn healthy with over a decade of declining enrollment. I’m cheering NIC on and am glad NIC is in a much better condition than when I arrived.
Greg McKenzie, NIC Trustee
The four-way race for sheriff ended with a dominating win by incumbent Sheriff Robert “Bob” Norris who received 61,853 votes, giving him a 47% margin over his nearest opponent Independent Dan Wilson who received 19,609 votes. Independent Justin Nagel garnered 4,295 votes and 24-year-old Kyle Woodward came in fourth with 3,965 votes.
I am humbled by the confidence that the voters have in me to be their sheriff. Law, Order, and Freedom will continue to reign in Kootenai County.
Sheriff Robert “Bob” Norris, Kootenai County
Most citizen voters know little to nothing about the Idaho judiciary, and the four Magistrate Judges on the ballot received the least number of county-wide votes as many voters chose to leave the ballot questions blank.
On October 9, Kootenai Journal reported on the Families Against Judge Peterson campaign, the only active campaign for or against a First Judicial District Magistrate Judge during this election. All four Magistrates retained their positions, although the campaign to remove Peterson had enough traction to lower his support. Peterson received a higher number of NO votes than the other three Magistrates, but still retained his seat with 72.3% of the votes. It remains unclear at this time whether the Administrative Judge will continue to restrict Peterson from hearing criminal cases or whether the Idaho Judicial Council will revisit disciplinary action or recommend early retirement. Magistrates James Combo, Anna M Eckhart, and Destry Randles were all retained for another four-year term with roughly 85% support.
All of Kootenai County’s Legislative District seats were won by incumbent Republicans. The county’s current legislative contingent is considered the most conservative in the state. The 2025 Legislative Session convenes at noon on January 6, 2025. Before the session begins, a new Senate Pro Tempore will be elected by the 35 Senators during the Organizational Session on December 5-6 since the current Pro Tempore Senator Chuck Winder lost his seat during the May primary. Sources confirm that Senator Doug Okuniewicz (R-LD3) has strong support to lead the Senate.
I’m honored to continue serving District 4 in the Idaho Senate and maintain my promise to raise the standard in Boise by fighting for the conservative Republican values that make our community such a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family!
Senator Ben Toews, Legislative District 4
I am humbled and appreciative of those who have again trusted me to continue serving my constituents in Kootenai County and all Idahoans, and I eagerly look forward to the continued challenges of ensuring individual rights and preserving our freedoms, while conserving the great State of Idaho for generations to come.
Senator Carl Bjerke, Legislative District 5
The election results once again prove why North Idaho is the best place in the country to call home if you love God, family, freedom, and conservatism.
Representative Heather Scott, Legislative District 2
“I am honored and humbled for the support I have received in my bid for re-election as State Representative for District 5, stated Rep. Tony Wisniewski (R-LD5). “Although I had the privilege of speaking with hundreds of people in the weeks leading up to the election, it was especially heartwarming to experience the large number of folks who greeted me by name when I knocked on their door. I was also surprised by the number of people who were at least somewhat knowledgeable of the complexities of Proposition 1, which is based on serious omission of facts and outright deception.”
As your Representative, I pledge to promote legislation that maintains and supports your freedom and rights.
Representative Tony Wisniewski, Legislative District 5
