There were no candidates filing for Barton County attorney in Tuesday’s general election. However, there were two declared write-in candidates, including current Barton County Attorney Levi Morris and current Rice County Attorney Remington Dalke.

Although only the early and advanced ballots had been counted as of press time, Morris led with 1,044 votes, to Dalke’s 57. Colin Reynolds, a prosecutor in the County Attorney’s Office, also garnered 30 write-in votes.

The votes counted at night’s end Tuesday are only preliminary. The totals won’t be finalized until the Barton County Commission meets as the Board of Canvassers and canvasses the ballots next Monday morning. 

On Oct. 3, Morris announced his write-in campaign.

Morris has been the Barton County attorney since the end of 2018 when he was appointed to replace Amy Mellor following her resignation. His current terms expires January 2021.

However, on May 8, Morris filed for the 20th Judicial District Court Judge vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Mike Keeley. The district is comprised of Ellsworth, Barton, Rice, Russell and Stafford counties. 

However, he lost that bid to Lisa Beran. 

Dalke is from Lyons and is also seeking another term for his Rice County post. He is running unopposed for that job.

There is no state statute that prohibits an attorney from serving as county attorney in more than one county, and there are no residency requirements, said Katie Koupal, spokesperson for the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office. This is by design so it is easier for rural areas to have someone in this office, and is not uncommon.