As Tama County Republicans prepare to gather on Aug. 4 to choose their nominee for county treasurer, newly obtained primary election write-in results offer another interesting look at voter behavior during one of the county’s most closely contested local races in recent memory.

The Republican primary ended with no candidate reaching the 35 percent threshold required under Iowa law to secure the nomination outright. Incumbent Amanda Kriegel led the field with 493 votes (34.31%), just shy of the mark needed to avoid a county convention. Ashley Bolen finished second with 466 votes, followed by Kathy Holtz with 400, and Jolynn Harger with 77.

Official write-in tally sheets from both parties reveal another layer to the election.

While Democratic write-in votes did not count toward the Republican nomination, Democratic primary voters cast write-in votes for each of the four Republican treasurer candidates. Kathy Holtz received 19 Democratic write-in votes, Ashley Bolen received 11, Amanda Kriegel received 2, and Jolynn Harger received 1.

Those votes had no effect on the final result of the Republican primary, and are simply write-in votes for a different party’s nomination.

The Republican write-in tally sheet also produced another notable result.

Ten Republican primary voters wrote in Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand for governor, while eventual Republican nominee for Governor Zach Lahn received 1 write-in vote in the Democratic Primary.