PORT TOWNSEND — A group petitioning voters to give Jefferson County Public Utility District the authority to provide electric service has gathered about 25 percent of the signatures needed to force a Nov. 4 election on the issue.
Electrical service to East Jefferson County is now provided by Puget Sound Energy, based in Bellevue, while the PUD, based in Port Hadlock, provides water and sewer service to about 3,000 customers in the county.
Steve Hamm, leading the petition signature drive for Citizens for Local Power, said Friday the group has up to 375 signatures on petitions circulating in Jefferson County.
Needed by July 3 are 1,626 registered-voter signatures to place the question on the Nov. 4 ballot, said county Auditor Donna Eldridge, who oversees elections.
Once the needed signatures are certified, the matter would go before the Jefferson County commissioners as a resolution to call an election.
Hamm said he hopes to gather more than 2,000 valid signatures of registered voters to make a strong statement for an election.
