*Challenger Jennifer Justus defeated incumbent Jerry Nolte for the Presiding Commissioner seat.*

Clay County residents went to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, to decide on two county commission seats and Clay County Proposition A, which primarily focuses on increasing salaries and benefits for elected officials, including linking the Sheriff and Prosecuting Attorney salaries to state judge pay scales and offering health and retirement benefits to part-time County Commissioners.

In Kearney, residents also decided on Proposition P, a half-cent sales tax designed strictly to improve public safety and law enforcement. The revenue would primarily fund the recruitment and retention of qualified police officers, maintain minimum shift coverage, provide officer backup, and reduce the police department's reliance on overtime.

Clay County Commission Seats

Challenger Jennifer Justus defeated incumbent Jerry Nolte for the Presiding Commissioner seat. Justus received 55.65% of the vote in the race, compared with 43.37% for Jerry Nolte, a difference of twelve percentage points.

In the Eastern Commissioner contest, incumbent Jay Johnson won by a narrower margin, receiving 52.85% of the vote to Mark McAuliffe’s 46.41%, putting Johnson ahead by six percentage points.

Local Ballot Measures

The two ballot measures faced slightly wider margins. Clay County Proposition A drew 42.38% support, with 57.62% voting no, out of 94,035 votes. Kearney Proposition P finished an opposite split: out of 4,457 votes, 56.63% in were favor and 43.37% opposed.

Mayor Pogue thanked the residents of Kearney who participated in the election saying, “I want to thank everyone who took the time to vote and participate in the conversation about public safety in Kearney. We appreciate the trust our community has placed in us and recognize our responsibility to use these funds wisely. Our police officers work hard every day to keep Kearney safe, and this funding will help us continue supporting the people who serve and protect our community.”

Results in this report have not been officially certified by the Clay County Election Commissioners.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.