Six Advance in Colby USD 315 School Board Preliminary Election

Voters headed to the polls Tuesday, August 5, to cast their ballots in the preliminary election for the Colby Public Schools USD 315 Board of Education. With ten candidates vying for three at-large board seats, the top six vote-getters now move on to the general election, scheduled for November 4.

Voting took place at the Colby Event Center between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and early interest was evident with 241 advance ballots submitted prior to Election Day. According to election officials, approximately 16% of registered voters in the district participated in the preliminary election.

Unofficial results show the following six candidates advancing to the November ballot:

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However, the results will not be certified until the Thomas County Commissioners meet on August 11, and officials caution that the rankings could shift slightly depending on the arrival of final mail-in ballots. Any ballots postmarked August 5 and received by this Friday will be counted.

One of the closest races in the preliminary results came between Joshua Cersovsky and Chris Donelan, who both received 24 votes in one precinct, triggering additional auditing measures. Though only one precinct is typically selected at random for a post-election hand-count audit, County Clerk Keesa Meriman said that a second precinct in Ward 2 will likely be audited due to the razor-thin margin between the two candidates.

Only the top three candidates in November will be elected to fill the open at-large positions on the USD 315 School Board, making this fall’s general election a competitive and consequential vote for the future of Colby’s public schools. Newly elected members will take their seat at the January meeting 2026.

The next steps in the election timeline include finalizing mail-in ballot counts, conducting audits of the selected precincts, and certifying the preliminary results at next week’s commission meeting.

As of now, these six candidates will be campaigning over the next three months as they seek to earn the trust and support of the community in the November election.