There were very few locally contested races during Tuesday’s General Election. One of the most watched in this area, was in Audubon County, where Sheriff Todd Johnson, a Republican, was re-elected to office, after defeating his challenger, Democrat Blake Asberry. Unofficial results show Johnson garnered 2,374 votes to Asberry’s 1,080. Another race in Audubon County, was for the Board of Supervisor’s, where four men were running for two open seats on the Board. Republican Todd M. Nelson received the most votes, at 1,817. The unofficial tally shows fellow Republican Duane Deist narrowly defeated Democrat Kent Grabill to take the other seat. Deist had 1,550 votes to Grabill’s 1,542. Those numbers aren’t official, however, and the actual race between the second and third-place finisher may change, because, according to the Auditor’s office, 43-absentee ballots remain in the mail system, and two provisional ballots will need to be examined by the absentee board. The board is set to meet at 10:00 a.m.  Friday to count the ballots that are received between now and November 9^th. They will also verify the post mark meets the cut-off deadline to be eligible for the count. The final results in Audubon County may not be known for nearly a week.

In Shelby County four people ran for two seats on the Board of Supervisors. Two Republicans, newcomers Charles Parkhurst and Steve Kenkel, defeated their Democrat challengers Jerry Hensheid and LaVon Christensen to earn a spot at the table. Kenkel had the most votes, at 4,191. Parkhurst had the second-highest total, at 3,282. Henschied garnered just over 2,000 votes, while Christensen barely cracked 1,780.

And, Iowa State Representative Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, defeated challenger Kasey Friedrichsen, a Democrat, 64-35 percent. Schultz represents the new District 18, which covers all of Shelby County and portions of Harrison and Crawford counties.

In Pottawattamie County, incumbent Republican Supervisor’s Lynne Grobe and Melvyn Houser easily defeated Brian Lund, who was nominated by petition. And, former deputy and acting Pottawattamie County Treasurer Lea Voss, a Republican, held-off a challenge from Democrat Paula Danker, to remain in office. Voss, who was selected as the acting treasurer after the death of long-time Treasurer Judy Miller, beat Danker by 21,608 votes to 17,915.

In Adams County, Democrat Merlin Dixson beat Republican Jerry Peckham, to take a single seat available on the Board of Supervisors in District 2. Also, Republican Becky Bissell defeated Democrat and Nominated By Petition challengers, and will take the title of Treasurer.

In Guthrie County, Democrat Jerome F. Caraher easily captured the one open seat on the Board of Supervisors in District 1, 585 to 454. And, in District 5, Republican Mike Dixson defeated Democratic challenger David Guisinger, 593 to 507.

The results will not be final, until the all the votes are canvassed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A pair of precincts in Madison County in central Iowa ran out of printed ballots Tuesday night and had to resort to photocopies. County elections deputy Lori Belgarde says two of the county’s nine precincts ran out of ballots. One of the precincts photocopied 23 ballots that voters then cast. Belgarde wasn’t certain how many photocopies the other precinct would need. Belgarde says the county had at least 10 percent more ballots on hand than were cast in 2008, an indication of strong voter turnout.

Chad Olsen, a spokesman for Iowa secretary of state Matt Schultz, says other precincts that included some in West Des Moines and Waukee also ran out of ballots. But Olsen says additional ballots were supplied before the original supply ran dry.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa voters have retained state Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins, who faced opposition because he supported a unanimous 2009 ruling that legalized gay marriage in Iowa. Social conservatives campaigned to oust Wiggins because of the ruling, following their success in removing three of his colleagues two years ago. Liberal groups and the Iowa State Bar Association worked to keep Wiggins on the bench.

The vote on Wiggins’ retention is considered a barometer for the public’s changing views on gay marriage and a flashpoint in the debate over the role of courts in American life. Wiggins joined six colleagues to declare that a state law banning gay marriage violated the equal-protection clause of Iowa’s constitution. The decision made Iowa the first Midwestern state to legalize gay marriage.

* Winner, with all precincts reporting unless otherwise noted….

State Representative District 20 (with 20 out of 21 precincts fully reporting)

Rep. Clel Baudler          8,094 (57.94%)*

Dem. Greg Nepstad      5,850 (41.88%)

State Representative District 21

Rep. Jack Drake            8,299* (winner) (56.88%)

Dem. John Rose           6,273 (42.99%)

State Representative District 18

Rep. Jason Schultz      8,328* (winner) (62.25%)

Dem. Kasey Friedrichsen   4,382 (34.33%)

State Representative District 16

Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa        6,806* (57.47%)

Dem. Heidi Guggisberg-Coners    5,011 (42.31%)

State Representative District 15

Rep. Mark A. Brandenburg        5,405 (52.29%)*

Dem. George Warren Yaple        4,914 (47.54%)

State Senate District 8

Rep. Al Ringgenberg                   10,124 (44.87%)

Dem. Michael E. Gronstal          12,407* (54.99%)*

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democrat Barack Obama has won the battleground state of Iowa, beating Republican Mitt Romney after a campaign that featured repeated visits by both candidates to the state. Obama earned Iowa’s six Electoral College votes, winning a state that has played crucial roles in his presidential bids.

Obama’s surprising victory in the 2008 Iowa caucus helped propel him to the Democratic nomination, and the state gave him an easy win in the 2008 general election.  Both candidates campaigned frequently in Iowa during the summer and fall, and their campaigns spent millions on advertising in the state.

By Election Day, both candidates had been campaigning for president in Iowa for nearly six years. Romney ran for president in 2008 but lost the nomination to Republican Sen. John McCain.