Voters across Iowa are heading to the polls today (Tuesday), to cast their ballots in the Primary Election. Winners in the Primary will have their names appear on the ballot for the November 6th General Election. The polls opened at 7-a.m., and will close at 9-p.m. In Cass County, there are no contested local races.

In Audubon County, five men, four Republicans, including one incumbent (Todd M. Nelson), and one Democrat, are vying for two seats on the Board of Supervisors. One seat was left open by the announcement by Vernie Venteicher that he is not running for re-election. Facing-off against Nelson for one of the seats is Duane Deist, Monte L. Dreher, and Roger Merk. Jerry R. Carter is unopposed on the Democratic ticket. Also in Audubon County, Democrat Blake Asberry is running against incumbent Todd Johnson, a Republican, for the title of Sheriff. It’s the first time in more than a decade there is a race for the Sheriff’s job, in Audubon County.

There are no contested races in Adams County, where the Republican incumbents for County Supervisors in Districts 2 and 5, along with Sheriff Alan Johannes, County Attorney Duane Golden and Democrat Auditor Nancy J. Carmichael, are unopposed. In Guthrie County, there are two Democrats on the ballot for Board of Supervisors in District 1: Jerome F. Caraher, of Bayard, and John Milhollin, , of Yale. Only one will be elected, and move on to meet Republican, James Carroll, in November. Carroll is unopposed in the Primary. In District 5: Democrat David Guisinger is unopposed on the ballot, while Republicans Mike Dickson, of Stuart, and Robert Schemmel, of Dexter, are squaring-off, each with hopes of moving on to face Guisinger in the November election.

In Montgomery County, incumbent Republican Sheriff Joe Sampson faces a challenge from fellow Republican, Chris Stephens. In Pottawattamie County, incumbent Sheriff Jeff Danker faces a challenge from fellow Republican John Hitchcock. The man who wins today’s election will likely be the next Sheriff, as no Democrat has filed to run.

There’s a six-person Republican race in Shelby County for the Board of Supervisors. Scott Burchett, Delbert Hull (who is seeking re-election), Steve Kenkel, Randy Nelson, Charles Parkhurst and David Yamada are all on the ballot. On the Democratic ticket men are in the running: Herb Christensen, LaVon Christensen and Jerry Henscheid. There is also a State Representative Race in District 18 on the Democratic side, with Kasey Friedrichsen and Bernard Murphy vying for a win. The biggest race in Shelby County though is the Republican Sheriff’s position. Since there isn’t a candidate running on the Democratic side, it’s down to current Sheriff Mark Hervey and Nathan Dee Christensen.

Other races to watch include those for State Senate in District 10 (which includes parts or all of Audubon, Guthrie, Adair, Dallas & Cass Counties), featuring Republicans Jake Chapman and Matthew T. Mardesen, and, Senate District 6 (parts or all of Audubon, Carroll & Crawford Counties), where Republicans Matthew Biede (a Sac County Sheriff’s Deputy), Adam Schweers (The Mayor of Carroll) and Mark Segebart (a farmer from Vail & member of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors) are in the running, with only one in each district moving on to the November General Election, where they will face Democrat Mary Bruner. Incumbent legislator, Greg Forristal, is being challenged by Clint Fichter for the GOP nod in the new 22nd district, which covers most of Pottawattamie County.

If you are not sure where your voting precinct is, call your County’s Auditor’s Office, or go the the Iowa Secretary of State’s website at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx We’ll have the results of the election for you Wednesday morning, on KJAN and on the web at kjan.com.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

An unidentified woman was rescued from the Missouri River near Council Bluffs this (Monday) morning. Council Bluffs Police Sgt. Patrick Norris says Officer Chad Selander found the woman near a boat dock at Lake Manawa, along the river, around 8:15 a.m. As he approached her, she then jumped into the river and swam to about the center of the river and then started floating down,” Norris said. Selander called for rescue boats.  “The whole time, (Selander) kept a visual on her and talked to her while running through the shrubs and the trees. It was pretty taxing,” Norris said. Selander ran about three miles along the riverbank as the water carried the woman downstream. He was then able to direct the rescue boats to her location.  “It is almost like a needle in a haystack. He did a great job,” Norris said of the officer. “He did a bit more investigating than maybe some would do. She jumped in and luckily he kept a good eye on her and could keep up with her.” Norris said the woman was “combative” when she was pulled from the water. She was then taken to a hospital for an evaluation. Norris said he believes Officer Selander’s actions saved the woman’s life.

(Radio Iowa)