By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff
With the Tuesday, Nov. 4 election fewer than two months away, absentee ballots could start being mailed as soon as Thursday, Sept. 25 and early voting open on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Meanwhile, the deadline for candidate filings and ballot measures has passed, meaning that what voters will see at the polls has been established by election officials.
Depending on the precinct in which they live, Bonner County voters will have municipal offices, fire district commissioners, levies, a local option tax and a special municipal revenue bond to consider.
In Sandpoint, the ballot will include four candidates running for three seats on the Sandpoint City Council: incumbents Joel Aispuro and Rick Howarth, as well as Joshua Torrez (listed as Torrez Joshua) and Joe Tate.
Those seats carry a term of four years, and are “at large,” meaning there are no specific districts or seats representing those districts. Rather, those who win the most votes across all of Sandpoint’s voting precincts win the seats.
Sandpoint voters will also be asked whether they are in favor or against giving City Hall the authority to issue up to $130 million of revenue bonds to design, acquire and construct improvements to the wastewater treatment plant located on the Pend Oreille River adjacent to Lakeview Park and War Memorial Field.
In Clark Fork, incumbent Mayor Russell Schenck will run against Tanya Becker, while in Dover voters will choose between incumbent City Council President Kim Bledsoe, incumbent Councilor Merlin Glass, Jerry Heaps and Hans Steidl for two four-year seats. Kootenai residents will cast ballots for one four-year seat on the City Council, picking between Robert Dressel and Danelle Baumgarten-Pickett.
Those who reside within the West Pend Oreille Fire District in the Priest River area will vote for one four-year commissioner seat for Sub-District 1, with David A. Van Natter and Nigel Cave on the ballot.
In Ponderay, voters will weigh in either for or against a 10-year, 1% local option sales tax intended to raise funds for continued development of public access to Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, including a railroad underpass; ongoing construction at the Field of Dreams recreational complex; creation of a Field of Dreams Endowment Fund for future maintenance at the facility; and support for streets and stormwater projects, with $500,000 designated on top of the existing streets budget.
East Hope voters will consider a permanent override property tax levy, estimated to cost $20.89 per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value per year in order to fund street maintenance and capital improvements.
Finally, Northside Fire District residents will vote in favor or against a special permanent tax levy of $1,345,410 — up from $661,071 — effective in Fiscal Year 2026 to pay for staffing and equipping and maintaining the district’s operations. The additional $684,339 would result in an estimated increase of $20.20 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value per year.
For more election information, including registration, absentee ballot requests, polling place locations, sample ballots and calendars, go to bonnercountyid.gov/Elections-Home.
