Balloting continues in Jefferson and Clallam counties

A week and a day after ballots were mailed out, Jefferson County voters have returned 5,945 of them, reported the county Auditor’s Office on Thursday.

That’s 28.5 percent of the 20,719 ballots mailed out to voters on Jan. 17, said Elections Specialist Betty Johnson.

Voters have through Feb. 6 to mail back or physically return their ballots to the Auditor’s Office in the Jefferson County courthouse, second floor, 1820 Jefferson St.

Broken down by voter district:

  • Ballots mailed out for the Port Townsend School District levy numbered 10,298, and 2,973 had been returned by Thursday, or 28.8 percent.

  • For the lid lift questions in Fire District 3, which is Port Ludlow, 3,585 ballots were mailed out, with 1,116 returned by Thursday, or 31 percent.

  • For the Jefferson County Library levy lid lift, 14,371 ballots were mailed out, with 4,089 returned by Thursday, or 28.4 percent.

  • For the city of Port Townsend proposition to increase the phone and electric bill tax from 6 percent to 10 percent, 6,447 ballots were mailed out and 1,865 have been returned, or 28.7 percent.

    The Port Townsend proposition, if approved, would raise about $403,000 in new revenues to help maintain staff and services for police, parks, library and facilities and maintenance.

    In the Port Townsend School District, voters are being asked to approve a $11.262 million, four-year maintenance and operation levy to fund facilities operations and maintenance and some school programs and extracurricular activities. Passage of that vote requires a 60 percent supermajority.

    The Jefferson County Public Library, based in Port Hadlock, is asking county voters to approve lifting the levy lid from 42 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to 43 cents.

    Two proposed levy lid lifts in Jefferson County Fire District No. 3 in Port Ludlow are asking voters to approve $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed valuation for a fire protection levy. The second proposed measure, a levy for the emergency management service fund, would be 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, if approved.

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