The Early Read: Advance Voters Cast Their Bets in Key Local Elections

Well, the ballots are in, or at least a good chunk of them are — those brave souls who cast their votes ahead of the mad dash of Election Day itself. And frankly, the early returns from Riley County offer us a fascinating, if preliminary, peek into the hearts and minds of the electorate.

For the highly contested Manhattan City Commission, it appears Tabitha Fox and Dave Faust have, shall we say, captured the early imagination. Among advance voters, Fox edged out the competition with a robust 29.5% of the vote, and Faust, right on her heels, garnered 28.9%. Now, these aren't final, not by a long shot, but it certainly sets a tone. Trailing a bit, but still very much in the game, are Aaron Estabrook with 18.6% and Robert Burchfield at 15.5%. Interestingly, Usha Reddi, a current commissioner, isn't on the ballot this go-round, so it's a bit of a fresh slate, isn't it?

Then, shifting our gaze to the USD 383 School Board race — another absolutely crucial contest for the community, you could argue — we see Brandy Gross leading the charge among early voters. She pulled in a respectable 26.6% of the advance ballots. Following her, Jayme Morris-Hardeman sits at 20.3%, while Curt Herrman, at 18.6%, and Karla Hagemeister, with 15.6%, are also making strong showings. Steven Butler, at 12.8%, is just a bit behind. With three coveted positions up for grabs here, it truly feels like every single vote will matter, especially once the Election Day numbers roll in.

So, just how many folks participated in this early-bird special, you might wonder? Around 6,700 advance ballots were cast across Riley County. When you consider there are 40,323 registered voters in total, that translates to roughly 16.6% of the electorate making their choices known before the main event. It's a significant slice, but also, for once, a reminder that the majority still waited, or perhaps preferred, to head to the polls on Election Day.

And indeed, the polling places were open, bustling with activity, right up until 7 p.m. It's only after all those final votes are counted, weighed, and tallied that we’ll truly know who Riley County has chosen to lead them into the future. But for now, for this moment, we have our early frontrunners, and honestly, it makes for quite the compelling story.