A Democrat and two independents defeated Republican opponents in Tuesday’s races for Platte County clerk, auditor and treasurer.
Newcomer Hans Peter, a Democrat, defeated Republican Mary Calvillo in the county clerk’s race with 52.98% of the vote, while independents Kevin Robinson and Chris Kendall won their races for auditor and treasurer. Robinson secured another term with 51.07% of the vote against Republican Laura Waldon, and Kendall received 53.54% against Republican Krysten Jury.
Final tally delayed
The final election tally was delayed by a misplaced cover sheet, according to Wendy Flanigan, co-director of the Platte County Board of Elections. Workers manually recounted the mail-in ballots seven or eight times, she said, before the final tally came in at 10:05 p.m. Tuesday.
Peter promises service across party lines
Peter said he intends to serve residents regardless of their political affiliation.
“While I ran as a Democrat, I believe the work of the county clerk should be nonpartisan. Every resident deserves the same respect, attention and service, regardless of political affiliation,” Peter said in a statement Tuesday evening.
“Whether you voted for me or someone else, I look forward to serving you. My responsibility is to all residents of Platte County.”
Robinson outlines priorities
“Today marks the end of a long campaign, but it also marks the beginning of the next chapter of work on behalf of the taxpayers of Platte County,” Robinson said in a statement.
He said his priorities include financial oversight, keeping residents informed and rebuilding the county’s credit rating.
“Thank you for believing in the mission and for making your voices heard,” he said.
Kendall reflects on independent campaign
“This election was about more than winning a position. It was about earning the confidence of the people I serve, and I do not take that responsibility lightly,” Kendall said in a statement.
He said running as an independent allowed him to focus on residents and his qualifications, although campaigning without a political party’s organization or political action committees presented challenges.
“But I wouldn’t change that decision. It allowed me to run on my own merits, speak for myself and demonstrate that you don’t have to belong to a political party to be qualified to serve,” he said.
“I hope this campaign showed that Platte County voters are willing to look beyond party affiliation and make their own decisions about who is best qualified for the job.”
Voters turn out despite rain
Earlier in the day, Platte City voters braved torrential afternoon rain to cast ballots at the YMCA.
“This is a very good turnout,” said Chris Johnson, supervisory judge at the polling site. “We’ve been busy today. This turnout is about the same we saw at the last presidential election. Our 10 standing booths have been filled up and people have had to wait.”
Miranda Pease of Platte City said frustration with the country’s direction and elected officials’ priorities motivated her to vote.
“I feel like a lot of things have been going wrong lately in our country and we need to do something about it,” she said. “The people in office aren’t doing their jobs and representing the people. They’re representing their donors, not the people.”
Platte City resident Tammy Davis Daniel said Amendment 3 brought her to the polls.
“Abortion is an important issue for me,” she said. “I don’t believe that when people vote for something, they can just put it back on the ballot to change it. It wasn’t illegal anymore, now it’s on the ballot again. It’s like they’re taking all of our rights away, that’s how I felt.”
A cheerful welcome at the polls
Welcoming voters at the door was first-time election judge J.L. Ogan of Edgerton.
“I’m a newbie doin’ what I do best,” he said. “I was up at 3:30 to be here by 5 a.m. You gotta be ready for the first 10 to 15 people waiting for us to open.”
Ogan shrugged off the prospect of a 14-hour shift, keeping his enthusiasm as he guided voters through the process.
He handed “future voter” stickers to young children accompanying their parents and encouraged adults receiving their stickers to “wear it proudly.”
As voters finished, he helped them feed their ballots into the machine, declaring, “You just made a straight A for the red, white and blue!”
He sent everyone off with the same cheerful farewell: “See you next election!”
