SANDPOINT — The Board of Bonner County commissioners has officially been set, with newly elected Republicans Steve Smith and Jeff Roberts voted in at the 2026 general election.  

This year, 70% of registered Bonner County voters turned out for the race, with 24,237 ballots cast out of the 34,824 total registered voters.  

Smith was part of the sole contested race, defeating independent Fred Arn with 15,419 votes, or 67.16% of the vote. Arn trailed with 7,540 votes, or 32.84% of the vote. In Bonner County, Smith swept the majority vote across county precincts, with Arn only receiving the majority vote in three — Baldy, Beach and Humbird.  

The remainder of the county races went unopposed, where Republicans secured the open seats. 

Roberts ran unopposed after defeating incumbent Republican Asia Williams in the primary election. In the general election, Roberts earned 16,498 votes for the County Commissioner District 2 seat. The race saw the least number of votes, as opposed to the most voter turnout during the primary.  

Roger Rudd won the Clerk of the District Court race, securing 16,733 votes. Rudd won the primary election over Republican Spencer Hutchings to run unopposed in the general election.  

Incumbent Clorissa Koster ran unopposed in both the primary and general elections and received 16,925 votes to maintain her position as county treasurer. Robert Beers kept his seat as county coroner after not facing any competition in the primary or general elections. He earned 17,148 votes.  

Cory Gabel was voted in as the county's new assessor, with 16,781 votes in favor of his candidacy. He was not challenged in the primary or general elections.  

Luke Hagelberg was retained as Magistrate Judge of the First District Court. 

Ballot measurers  

Spirit Lake Fire District did not receive enough votes to authorize a permanent levy override for $785,000. The levy, which requires a two-thirds vote, only received a 50.41% approval vote, or 1,231 votes, with 1,211 voters against the levy.  

Voters in the Coolin Sewer District opted against its bond request of $8 million for improvements to its wastewater treatment center, which required a simple majority vote. The bond saw 50 votes in opposition and 44 in favor.  

Westside Fire District was approved for a two-year temporary levy in the amount of $380,000, after a similar permanent levy was denied in the primary election. The levy, which requires a simple majority vote, saw 1,162 votes in favor, or 66.74% of the vote. 579 residents voted against the levy.  

The city of Sandpoint did not pass its 1% local option tax to repair and maintain the city's roads and pedestrian walkways. The tax needed a supermajority vote to pass, or 60% approval. Sandpoint’s tax received 1,874 votes of approval, or 52.13% of the vote. 1,721 voters opposed the tax, or 47.87%.  

Residents in Dover approved a 12% occupancy tax on all short-term lodging charges for hotel rooms, motel rooms, short-term rentals, tourist homes, or other dwelling units rented or leased for thirty consecutive days or less. A supermajority was needed for the tax to pass. 70.73% of voters approved the tax, totaling 348 voters. 144 voters cast a dissenting vote.