Lyon commission candidates to face runoff in November

Don Tibbals will face either Gary Gladwill or Rick Zierenberg in the general election in November.

Gladwill was leading Zierenberg by four votes at press time with one cartridge holding 33 votes still being counted. Tibbals had 1,863 votes at press time.

In the other two primaries, Eric Bobrick had 2,028 votes and will face Maureen Williss who had 2,013. Jeff Lucier finished with 891 votes.

In the race for Third District Court Judge, at press time David Huff received 2,437 votes from Lyon County voters, Jack Kennedy received 1,946 and Art Mallory received 952.

In the North Lyon County Fire District Board, John Picetti led with 851 votes, followed by Debbie Skinner with 776, Garret Burleson with 635, Jon Osborn with 619, Chris Murphy with 616, Sandra McGarva with 580 and Brian Bunn with 520.

Turnout at Sutro Elementary School in Dayton was mixed and poll workers said seemed to be connected on a voter's last name.

Johnye Saylor, a team leader among poll workers, said that 2008 was the first year voters were divided into groups by the first letter of their last names instead of their precincts. Those whose names began with A-E and F-K on one side of the room and the L-R and S-K voters on the others.

The A-E and the S-Z groups seemed to have the highest turnout, said poll worker Tom Miller. "They come in groups. Of the first 10 people who came in, nine were A-E."

Saylor said one man came in looking for precincts, but didn't know which one he was in.

"He knew what is last name was, though," she said.

She expected the same system will be used in November.

"This is a great dress rehearsal for the general election," she said.

At times there were more poll workers than voters, but after 5 p.m. people started coming in larger numbers.

Sexton estimated about 500 voted by 4 p.m.

She also said Sutro had "the coolest polling place in the county," with Elvis Presley songs playing on an iPod and voters sometimes doing a little dance at the electronic voting machines.

There were a few minor glitches. Team leader Tom Miller had to fix several paper jams, and one poll worker got a voter's party wrong.

George Haney, a Republican, went to the voting machine and inserted his card, and discovered the party that came on the screen was not the GOP.

It seems the electromagnetic cards that voters use are numerically coded each item

with the voter's party. In this case, the poll worker accidentally punched in the wrong numbers and the wrong party came up on the screen.

When Haney saw that it was a Democratic ballot, he stopped voting and sought help.

He was given a new and correctly coded card and ushered to another machine, while the machine he had been using was re-booted.

First Sgt. Harry House thought the ballot was a little slim, and declined to identify his choices.

"We're (members of the military) not supposed tell," he said.

Kathy Wilcox said she thought turnout would be low.

"A lot of people don't vote," she said. "Maybe they are waiting for the general election.

Even I wasn't very familiar with the candidates."

- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.