Incumbents ahead in regional, local races

Regional and local incumbents were faring well in initial returns in contested races on Election Night.

Clallam County counted 39,668 ballots out of 57,695 provided voters, for a voter turnout of 68.7 percent. Jefferson County was listed as having 74.1 percent voter turnout Tuesday night with 20,527 ballots counted out of 27,701 provided voters. The statewide turnout at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday was 67.37 percent.

The next count will be by 4 p.m. Wednesday in both Jefferson and Clallam counties.

Most voters represented in early returns backed Derek Kilmer, a Democrat, for a fifth term as the 6th Congressional District representative. He is challenged for the U.S. House of Representatives seat by Elizabeth Kreiselmaier, a Republican. Both live in Gig Harbor.

Washington’s 6th Congressional District includes Jefferson and Clallam counties, as well as the counties of Grays Harbor and Kitsap, and portions of Mason and Pierce counties.

Legislative District 24 incumbents were keeping their seats in early returns. Ahead of their Republican challengers district wide on Tuesday night were Democrats Sen. Kevin Van De Wege of Sequim, who faces Connie Beauvais of Joyce; Rep. Mike Chapman of Port Angeles, challenged by Sue Forde of Sequim; and Steve Tharinger of Port Townsend, vying with Brian Pruiett of Carlsborg.

District 24 covers Clallam and Jefferson counties as well a portion of Grays Harbor County.

Regional and local incumbents were faring well in initial returns in contested races on Election Night.

Results in the race for the District 2 seat on the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners show Heidi Eisenhour of Port Hadlock ahead of Lorna Smith of Port Townsend.

The two are vying to replace David Sullivan, who opted not to run again for the seat he had held for 16 years.

Clallam County Superior Court Judge Lauren Erickson also was leading her opponent, Lisa Dublin, to retain the seat to which she was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee in February 2019.

Rick Paschall was slightly ahead of Patti Morris in Election Night returns for a seat on the Clallam County Public Utility District commission. The two are seeking to fill the six-year position held by the late Hugh Haffner, who had resigned and was replaced by appointee Dave Anderson. Anderson did not run for the seat.

Voter action on six proposed Clallam County Charter amendments are, in early returns:

• Passing — No. 1, which would make the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney non-partisan.

• Passing — No. 2, housekeeping measure that would clarify Article IV, Section 4.10.

• Failing — No.3, which would change frequency of Charter Review elections from five years to eight years.

• Passing — No. 4, which would change the system of electing county commissioners to a system in which they would be nominated by the district and elected by the voters countywide.

• Failing — No. 5, which would change the office of the director of the Department of Community Development from elected to appointed.

• Failing — No. 6, which would lower the number of signatures required to file an initiative petition for repeal of the Clallam County Charter from 35 percent to 20 percent of the number of voters who voted for the office of governor in the last statewide election.

A replacement four-year Educational Programs and Operations levy for the Port Angeles School District was passing in the initial returns. The $5.6 million levy would be funded by a property tax rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of valuation.

In the presidential race, the majority of early returns in Clallam County were for Democrat Joe Biden, with Trump getting a large minority of votes, while Jefferson County voters were more heavily for Biden.

Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, received a vote of confidence over Republican Loren Culp in both Clallam and Jefferson counties’ early returns but with a larger margin in Jefferson County than in Clallam.

In the controversial statewide Referendum 90 measure, Clallam County was approving the sex education measure while Jefferson County supported it by a larger margin.