2:20 p.m. Oklahoma voters fill school board posts

Miami, Okla. - Voters in Northeast Oklahoma school districts went to the polls Tuesday, despite the threat of severe storms, to elect new school board members.

About 6.4 percent of voters cast ballots in the school districts of Commerce, Quapaw, Fairland and Afton.

Election results are provisional until the Ottawa County Election Board certifies the results late Friday.

Commerce School District will have a new board member as Kenny Smith ousted Ricky D. Brown by a vote of 145 to 79.

Smith could not be reached for comment.

Superintendent Jim Haynes was out of town Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.

In Quapaw, William D. Nichols narrowly defeated Troy Howard Thompson by a vote of 48 to 44.

Nichols could not be reached for comment.

Superintendent Dennis Earp said Nichols will be sworn in during the March board meeting for a five-year term.

In Fairland, voters returned Board President Mark Detherage to the board of education by a vote of 136 to 93 for Lisa Severe.

Detherage, 47, a farmer, was elected to his third five-year term.

Detherage, a father of two children in the school district, said his desire to serve on the board is to help children.

In Afton, voters also returned an incumbent to the board.

Samuel Grant Victor Jr., current board vice president, defeated Rebecca Anne Hallett by a vote of 200 to 20.

Voters in the school districts cast 722 ballots out of 11,299 registered voters.