Incumbent filing deadline Feb.18; election preparations underway

Incumbent office holders wanting to file for re-election must do so prior to the Tuesday, Feb. 18 deadline to appear on the May 12 Primary Election ballot. 

Perkins County Clerk Rita Long said the deadline is normally Feb. 15. However, the 15th falls on a Saturday and Monday Feb. 17 falls on the Presidents’ Day holiday so incumbents get until the 18th. 

Non-incumbent office filers will get a one-day deadline reprieve to Monday, March 2. The normal March 1 deadline falls on a Sunday so the deadline is automatically extended one day. 

Thus far, the only incumbents who have filed so far include District 1 county commissioner Sid Colson on the Republican ticket and school board president Jason Bishop. 

Other incumbents up for election in this cycle and the number to be elected include:

• Grant city council (2)—Matthew (Matt) Greenwood, Kimberly Bishop;

• Perkins County School board (3)—Larry Pritchett, Angela Patrick, Bishop.

•Perkins County Hospital board (2, elected in the May 12 Primary)—John Long, Dianne Harms.

All of the positions are for four-year terms. 

The incumbent filing deadline for the Village of Elsie, Village of Madrid and Village of Venango does not occur until July 15, with the non-incumbent filing date at Aug. 3. 

Elsie and Madrid will each elect three trustees while Venango will elect two.

The election for these offices occurs in the General Election Nov. 3. 

The Feb./March filing deadlines also apply to Mid Plains Community College Board of Governors-District 2 and At-Large positions as well as Subdistrict 9 on the Upper Republican Natural Resources District board. 

Depending on what school district a county resident lives, county voters will cast school board election ballots for Ogallala, Paxton, South Platte, Hayes Center and Wallace school boards.  

With 2020 being a leap year, that also means this is a presidential election year. 

In addition, all U. S. representatives are up for election and U.S. Senator Ben Sasse is up for re-election this cycle.