Trump, Biden win primary vote in county

In March of 2016, Sen. Ted Cruz barely won the Republican presidential primary in Washington County over then-candidate Donald Trump.
 Fast forward four years and last week’s presidential primary in Washington County was all Trump by a landslide.
 The incumbent president garnered 1,367 votes or 93.6 percent of the total in the county, according to unofficial results from the county clerk’s office.
 A smattering of votes went to other GOP candidates on the ballot. Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld received 27 votes, or 1.85 percent of the total, and Joe Walsh (the candidate not the singer) picked up 29 votes, or 1.99 percent.
 Trump also handily won the statewide GOP primary vote. Trump took 94.5 percent of the total, or 111,342 votes.
 Democrats in Washington County picked former vice president Joe Biden as their nominee for president with 241 votes, or 65.8 percent of the total.
 He garnered three times as many votes as runner-up Sen. Bernie Sanders, who received 81 votes, or 22.1 percent of the county Democratic vote.
 In statewide voting, Biden also won the primary race, but the vote was much closer than the county vote. Biden picked up 52,735 votes, or 48.8 percent of the total, and Bernie Sanders garnered 45,849 votes or 42.5 percent.
 Members of the Constitution Party in Washington County also picked their nominee for president on March 10. The party went with Don Blankenship, who received 247 votes, or 27.4 percent of the total.
 Idaho was one of seven states that held presidential primaries on March 10, one week after Super Tuesday on March 3, when more than a dozen states held presidential primaries.

The presidential primary included the candidates of any political party who has qualified for the Idaho ballot. Voters with the Republican, Democratic and Constitution parties will pick their nominations for president.
 In Washington County, a total of 1,856 ballots were cast out of 5,470 registered voters for a turnout of 33.9 percent. There were 126 voters who registered on election day and 275 absentee ballots were cast in the presidential primary.
 Residents in the Weiser School District also voted on a two-year supplemental levy on March 10. The measure required a simple majority to pass and 63.4 percent of the votes cast were in favor. There were 979 votes in favor of the levy and 564 opposed, or 36.5 percent.
 The total number of ballots cast in the levy election totaled 1,555. The turnout totaled 35.21 percent. The levy passed in every precinct within the school district except for Mineral.
 The levy will collect $350,000 annually in property taxes for two years. The levy was approved in 2018, but it expires every two years and by law must be renewed by voters.