The votes are in

Editor’s Note: All of the 2026 election results are unofficial until certified by the canvassing board on Nov. 16.
The Nov. 3, 2026, election saw some nationwide intrigue in the form of U.S. Senate and House of Representatives races, but there was a sea-change that happened on the Billings County Commission at the same time on the local level. Two new commissioners were added after voters approved an expansion from the previous three to the current five slots, and those new additions will be sworn in on Dec. 7 as they start their respective terms in office, joining District 1 Commissioner James Haag and District 3's Dean Rodne.
Rodney Syminow defeated sitting at-large District 2 Commissioner Steven Klym in one of those races by 307 votes to 234 – 56.64% to 43.17% – and the other at-large seat was won by Kevin Kessel over Kyle Shockley. Kessel earned 299 votes to Shockley's 242 at 54.86% and 44.4%, respectively. In the District 5 race, no candidate got on the ballot in time for the June primaries. Therefore, the entire race was decided by write-in votes, and Cody Cerkoney became the apparent winner after receiving 191 of the 253 votes cast. John Romanyshyn was second in that race with 19 votes, and Lester Iverson received 11.
In the county auditor race, incumbent Marcia Kessel took the win over challenger Patrick Rummel by a margin of 314-231 – 57.61% to 42.39% – while County Recorder Jullie Hammerstrom was unopposed in her race and took 98.58% of that election with 486 votes.
"It's a feeling of great gratitude to the Billings County residents, their trust in me and moving forward," Kessel said. "I'm just very excited to keep doing what we do in this county. I love my job and I love my staff, so we're excited to keep going."
Replacing outgoing Billings County Sheriff Dean Wyckoff will be Travis Collins, who won the race over John Tczap by a margin of 277-243 – 52.26% to 45.85% – in one of the closest races of the evening. Collins will be officially sworn into office on Jan. 1 after the canvassing board certifies the results.
Meanwhile, the Billings County Pioneer was again certified as the official newspaper of Billings County, with 100% of the 513 votes cast.
While Belfield and South Heart are in Stark County, the towns also have a representative on the county commission in District 4, where Paul Clarys edged out Jon Pierce – 52% to 47.44% and by vote totals of 3,754 and 3,423, respectively – with 38 write-in ballots submitted in that nonpartisan race.
Billings County also had the highest voter turnout, by percentage, in the state of North Dakota at 66%, while the statewide average was only 38%.
Kessel was particularly proud of that feat, adding, "The voter turnout across the state in the midterms is kind of abysmal sometimes, but Billings County has a history of having the highest voter turnout in the state. So, I had nominated Billings County residents for the Election Hero Award, and we received a letter and some comments from the Secretary of State's office regarding that."
In the North Dakota State Senate race for District 39 – through which Billings County is represented – Republican Greg Kessel ran unopposed and earned 97.57% of the total 5,097 votes cast. In the North Dakota House race, Mike Schatz and Keith Kempenich – both Republicans – squared off and saw Schatz earn 4,193 votes to Kempenich's 3,818, by percentages of 44.62% to 40.63%, respectively.
In the U.S. House of Representatives race, Republican Julie Fedorchak won with 57.32% of the vote across the state over Democrat Trygve Hammer. Fellow Republican Michael Howe won the Secretary of State race over Ryan Braunberger with 61.99%, while the nonpartisan race for Superintendent of Public Instruction was won by Levi Bachmeier over Tracy Layne Foss, 62.75% to 36.7%.
Inside Billings County, meanwhile, Fedorchak took 76.43% over Hammer, Howe came away with 81.73% over Braunberger, and Bachmeier earned 71.22% of the Billings County vote to Foss's 28.78%.
"The comments that I sent to the Secretary of State were mainly that it is unheard of in such a large rural population where it
For complete results of North Dakota’s 2026 election slate, please visit the website at www.sos.nd.elections.