Oliver Weilein wins Iowa City Council special election primary

IOWA CITY — Oliver Weilein won the Iowa City Council special election primary Tuesday with 69 percent of the votes cast in District C, according to unofficial results.

Weilein, who works for Systems Unlimited, serving adults with intellectual disabilities, topped opponent Ross Nusser, a real estate agent, who received 27 percent of the vote. Both will advance to a March 4 election to decide the winner.

Weilein received 641 votes, and Nusser received 248 of a total 932 votes.

Sharon DeGraw, a book designer and publishing house owner who filed to run for the seat, dropped out of the race Jan. 24 due to a personal matter. DeGraw’s name remained on the ballot because it was too late to have it removed.

DeGraw received 40 votes, which was 4 percent of the vote. There also were three write-in votes.

About 5 percent of the 18,316 registered voters in District C cast ballots in Tuesday’s special election.

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Only residents of District C, which includes downtown Iowa City and north-central Iowa City, were eligible to vote in the primary. All city residents can vote in the election on March 4.

The winner of the March 4 election will fill the district seat left vacant after council member Andrew Dunn announced his resignation effective Jan. 1, with three years left on the term.

The special elections will cost the city $100,000, $25,000 of which is for the primary on Tuesday. The rest will go to the March 4 election, according to City Attorney Eric Goers.

How to vote in March 4 General Election

All Iowa City residents are eligible to vote in the March 4 general election.

The first day the Johnson County Auditor’s Office can legally begin early voting at the Johnson County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque St. in Iowa City, is Feb. 12.

However, the auditor’s office may not have ballots ready by that date. It plans to release more information as the election nears.

Mailed absentee ballots must be requested by Feb. 18 by 5 p.m.

The auditor’s office plans to have one day of Saturday in-person voting at the Johnson County Administration Building, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on March 1.

Polling places in Iowa City will open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters can confirm their polling place on the Johnson County website at gis.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/pollingplaces.

Election Day voter registration will be available at polling locations.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com