A broom of change swept out incumbents Tuesday in three county commission races in the region.

In Grant County, incumbent Karen Witkowsky, with 496 votes, was defeated by Donald Roth, 816. A second incumbent, Grant County Commissioner Shawn Lince, with 451 votes, was beat out by Keith Payne, with 864.

In Slope County, challenger Scott Ouradnik, with 88 votes, took over a seat from incumbent commissioner Paul Brooks, with 58.

In a separate advisory poll, Slope County voters said by a tally of 219 to 194 they'd like to start electing county commission candidates at large rather than by district.

Hettinger County voters gave challenger John Plaggemeyer 680 votes and the District 1 county commission seat formerly held by longtime incumbent Harvey Herberholz, who lost with 625.

Also in Hettinger County, Matt Evenson, with 963 votes was elected sheriff, beating out Gilbert Mehrer, with 306.

Evenson had been acting sheriff since the primary, filling a vacancy left by the resignation of Terry Marigny.

Bowman County voters kept incumbent commissioners Bill Bowman with 1,110 votes and Pine Abrahamson with 1,242. Challenger EllDean Maychrzak lost out with 530 votes.

Bowman County voters also filled the two new county commission seats created in the June primary election. They went to Rick Braaten with 866 votes and Lynn Brackel with 661.

In Stark County, a seat held by Commissioner George Nodland, who put his hat in the Legislative ring, was won by Jay Elkin. Elkin ran unopposed in that county district. No official vote tally was available at deadline.

In McKenzie County, three incumbents remain in office following Tuesday's vote.

Michon Sax ran a close race with an unofficial tally of 1,246 votes, but not enough to upset Ron Anderson with 1,542, Dale Patten with 1,367, or Richard Cayko with 1,350.

The McKenzie County numbers were not final, with two precincts not reporting by deadline.