Today is Election Day — the last day voters can cast ballots that were mailed to them on Oct. 14.
But those who do cast ballots today in any of the races on the ballot — including two hot-button statewide measures — won’t see the impact of their choices until Friday, when their ballots will be counted, county Auditor Patty Rosand said Monday.
Only ballots that were hand-delivered to the courthouse by 10:30 p.m. Monday and received in the mail by Monday will be processed today at 8 p.m.
Ballots among the 45,737 mailed to voters that are postmarked today or dropped off at the courthouse or county drop boxes by 8 p.m. today will be counted Friday, she said.
Ballots must be dropped off at the Carlsborg post office at 4:30 p.m. today and at post offices throughout the rest of the county by 5 p.m. today to receive today’s postmark, Sequim postal clerk Bonnie Gallaher said Monday.
Drop boxes
County drop boxes are located at the county courthouse, at state Department of Licensing in Sequim at 100 E. Washington St. and at Forks District Court at 500 E. Division St.
The last of the ballots will be counted by Nov. 24.
The incoming-ballot count was 13,992, or 30.59 percent, as of Friday, and another approximately 2,500 were returned by Monday, Rosand said.
Voters seem to be voting at a slower pace this year compared with past elections, she said.
“Whether there’s not enough information [on the election] or voter fatigue, I don’t know.”
“Maybe voters are getting tired of hearing all the bickering and negative advertising, and they are just sort of tuning it out.
Seventeen positions are up for election, but the only countywide contest pits Port of Port Angeles Position 3 incumbent John Calhoun, 65, the director of the University of Washington Olympic Natural Resources Center, against Brad Collins, 61, deputy director of resource development and capital projects at Serenity House of Clallam County in Port Angeles.
To help voters make informed choices, the Peninsula Daily News 2009 Clallam County General Election Voter Guide is available at the county courthouse at 223 E. Fourth St. in Port Angeles and at PDN offices in Port Angeles at 305 W. First St. and in Sequim at 150 S. Fifth Ave., Suite 2.
It includes candidate profiles, questionnaires and position descriptions, along with information on two statewide ballot measures — government-revenue-limiting Initiative 1033 and domestic-partnership-related Referendum 71.
It also includes information on two Sequim-area ballot measures — county Fire Protection District 3’s proposed 23-cents-per-$1,000 property tax increase for emergency medical services and the city of Sequim’s proposed 0.2 percent sales and use tax increase for street and sidewalk repairs.
Below is a list of who else is running and what they are running for:
City of Port Angeles
Position 1: Cody Blevins, 28, a technical sales representative and installation specialist for High Tech Electronics, against Larry B. Little, 55, a retired dentist and current executive director of Volunteers in Medicine of the Olympics.
Position 2: Max Mania, 41, a grocery clerk and writer, against Edna Peterson, 69, owner of Necessities & Temptations.
Position 3: Harry Bell, 64, chief forester for Green Crow wood products company, against Pat Downie, 67, program coordinator for Catholic Community Services/Volunteer Services.
Position 4: Brooke Nelson, 37, a Realtor, against incumbent Betsy Wharton, 49, a registered nurse.
Port Angeles School District
Position 1: Deborah Fuson, 56, a direct receiving associate with Wal-Mart, against Sarah Methner, 39, a personal trainer at Clallam County Family YMCA.
City of Sequim
Position 2: Ted Miller, 63, a retired lawyer and CIA analyst, against incumbent Walt Schubert, 69, owner and broker of Action Property Management.
Position 3: Michael East, 66, a retired air freight manager for Consolidated Freightways, against Don Hall, 77, a retired quality assurance manager.
Sequim School Board
Position 2: John Kirshbaum, 66, a retired information technology project manager and currently an editor and freelance writer for a travel magazine, against incumbent Virginia O’Neil, 48, president and general partner of a real estate holding company.
Park and Recreation District 1
(Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center)
Position 1: Jan Richardson, 69, a retired construction company owner, against incumbent Susan Sorensen, 56, a registered nurse.
Position 2: Noelle Levesque, 29, who works in the health and wellness field, against incumbent Bob Macaulay, 64, a retired school administrator.
SunLand Water District
District 3: Albert Friess, 75, a retired international sales and marketing executive, against incumbent Arthur Hoefer, 81, a retired construction manager.
Clallam County Hospital District
(Olympic Medical Center)
District 3, Position 2: Phil Edin, 68, a retired chief financial officer, against John Miles, 79, a retired doctor.
Forks City Council
Mayor: Bryon Monohon, 46, a mental health case manager, against Joe Soha, 26, a business owner.
Position 2: John Hillcar, 35, a rock-crusher operator and truck driver, against Tom Scott, 54, owner of paragliding and appliance repair businesses.
Position 3: Bruce Guckenberg, 57, manager of Sully’s Drive-in, against Randy McAvoy, 56, a retired construction company owner.
Fire Protection District 5 (Clallam Bay)
Position 1: Crystal Corliss, 50, a fiscal analyst, against Glen McDaniel, 79, a retired federal employee.
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Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com