Late ballots bump up Clallam County turnout

Last-minute voters are expected to push turnout in Tuesday’s general election easily above the 50 percent mark by week’s end, when a second tally is scheduled.

The Clallam County Auditor’s Office said that it had received 4,053 returned ballots Tuesday and another 4,000 were expected to be returned Wednesday.

The second count of votes will be at about 4:30 p.m. Friday.

As of Wednesday, the confirmed total was 20,663 returned ballots, or 45.17 percent of all of the 45,739 ballots mailed in Clallam County.

If 4,000 more ballots came in Wednesday as expected, voter turnout would reach about 54 percent, with 24,663 ballots returned.

Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said that she thinks many voters decided to wait until the Tuesday deadline, or shortly before, to return their ballots to ensure that they are confident with their choices.

“I think that people have learned from past experience that there can be last-minute, breaking news that changes their vote,” she said.

Rosand said she expects only about 200 ballots to arrive in the mail today.

Ballots will continue to trickle in for the rest of the week, she said.

Rosand said the Auditor’s Office is required to count votes every three days until the election is certified Nov. 24 as long as it has at least 500 ballots to tally.

The last ballots to be counted are typically the ones that were submitted without a signature but later were signed by the voter, or those that came from people living overseas or out of state, she said.

As of the Tuesday count, three races are so close that they would qualify for a machine recount if the results were final.

A recount won’t be declared until each ballot has been tallied and the election is certified.

The races with the razor-thin margins are for Port of Port Angeles commission District 3, Port Angeles City Council Position 2 and Port Angeles City Council Position 4.

Any local races where the winning candidate has fewer than 2,000 more votes than an opponent and less than one-half percent of the total votes cast in the race must have a machine recount, according to state law.

In the port race, incumbent John Calhoun is leading his opponent, Brad Collins, by 48 votes.

His margin sits at 0.38 percent.

Calhoun received 6,211 votes, or 50.1 percent, while Collins had 6,163 votes, or 49.8 percent.

Former City Council member Edna Petersen is leading Max Mania for Position 2 on the Port Angeles council with 11 votes and a margin of 0.3 percent.

Petersen received 1,789 votes, or 50.15 percent, while Mania, garnered 1,778 votes, or 49.85 percent.

In the race for Position 4 on the Port Angeles council, Brooke Nelson is beating incumbent Deputy Mayor Betsy Wharton with 13 votes. Her margin is 0.38 percent.

Nelson received 1,761 votes, or 50.19 percent, while Wharton got 1,748 votes, or 49.81 percent.

The other two Port Angeles City Council races have percentage differences in the single digits, and the leading candidates, Larry Little and Patrick Downie, have not claimed victory.

Downie who had 1,697 votes, or about 53 percent, while his opponent, Harry Bell, had 1,502 votes, or about 47 percent.

Little received 1,755 votes, or 51.7 percent, while his opponent, Cody Blevins, had 1,635 votes, or 48.2 percent.

In the two contested Sequim City Council races, Ted Miller is beating incumbent Walt Schubert and Don Hall is beating his opponent, Michael East.

With 1,009 votes, Miller has about 66 percent of the vote.

Schubert, who was first elected 10 years ago and served six years as mayor, has received 518 votes, or about 34 percent.

Hall has 750 votes, or about 55 percent of the vote.

East is trailing with 607 votes, or about 45 percent.

________

Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Sula Adams, 4, hands Santa a candy cane during Santa’s visit to Port Townsend. Santa made an early visit on Saturday to hear children’s Christmas wishes and to light the community tree at Haller Fountain. Sitting next to Santa is Sula’s grandma Christi and her mom Corrine is on the right. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Christmas wishes

Sula Adams, 4, hands Santa a candy cane during Santa’s visit to… Continue reading

‘Perfect storm’ affecting housing

Energy codes, wages driving up costs

Ben Veghte, director of the Washington Cares Fund at the state Department of Social and Health Services.
WA Cares can provide long-term insurance benefits, director says

Program funded by payroll tax can be used for up to $36,500

Wreaths Across America set for Saturday

The Michael Trebert chapter of the Daughters of the… Continue reading

“Fractal Phase,” dancing with various lights, highlighted the Wintertide Festival of Lights on Saturday at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center. A large gathering of people cool temperatures to see lights, entertainment, consume food and get a chance to buy Christmas gifts. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Festival of Lights

“Fractal Phase,” dancing with various lights, highlighted the Wintertide Festival of Lights… Continue reading

McKinley reimbursed for energy efficiencies

Updates happened before mill’s closure

Derek Kilmer.
Kilmer’s final speech in Congress includes Port Angeles, Olympic Peninsula

Congressman continues practice of writing letter to his children

Peninsula College tuition to rise 3.3 percent

Increase to add about $54 per quarter, institution says

WSDOT still cleaning up after bomb cyclone

Transportation budget faces uncertainty in coming state session

Four people injured in crash at R Corner

A Port Angeles woman was flown to a Seattle… Continue reading

Woman airlifted to hospital after collision on Highway 101

A Quilcene woman was airlifted to a Seattle hospital after… Continue reading

Santa, played by Alexis Smith, a Lake Crescent Lodge employee, wonders why Zoey Doud, 3, of Port Angeles thinks the big present under the tree is for her. Santa turned on the outdoor lights at the lodge on Saturday then sat down by the fireplace to visit with the many children who came to the festivities. Entertainment was provided by the holiday songs of the Grand Olympic Chorus. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Lighting up the Lodge

Santa, played by Alexis Smith, a Lake Crescent Lodge employee, wonders why… Continue reading