PORT ANGELES — November general election races for contested Clallam County races for Superior Court judge and county commissioner were unchanged after a second count Wednesday of Tuesday’s primary election ballots.
Forks District Court 2 Judge Erik Rohrer and Chris Melly, Clallam County hearing examiner, were the two top vote-getters in the Clallam County Superior Court Position 1 race and will proceed to the Nov. 6 general election.
If a Superior Court candidate had won a simple majority, he would automatically have won the position.
The four-year position pays $148,832 a year, half of which is paid with state funds.
Clallam County commissioner incumbent Mike Chapman, who states no party preference, and Republican challenger Maggie Roth will vie for Chapman’s seat in November as he seeks a fourth four-year term on the three-member Board of County Commissioners.
No incumbent is running for the Superior Court seat. Judge Ken Williams is retiring.
Rohrer, 54, received 4,651 votes, or 35.90 percent.
Melly, 60, of Port Angeles won 3,137 votes, or 24.21 percent.
Port Angeles lawyer Curtis Johnson, 59, received 2,532 votes, or 19.54 percent.
Sequim lawyer William Payne, 55, garnered 2,635 votes, or 20.34 percent.
Elections office personnel counted a total of 15,585 ballots Tuesday night and Wednesday, Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said.
The next count will be either by the close of business today or on Friday, Rosand said.
Johnson said if he did lose once the remaining ballots are counted, he would throw his support
behind Melly.
As of Wednesday, the Auditor’s Office has received 19,992 ballots out of the 45,879 issued to voters, or 43.58 percent.
Chapman, 48, garnered 1,938 votes, or 39.18 percent, of the 4,947 ballots counted in the five-person primary.
Roth, 58, received 1,279 votes, or 25.85 percent, of the support within the district.
Democrat Dale Holiday won 801 votes, or 16.19 percent.
Democrat Patti Morris received 590 votes, or
11.93 percent.
Sandy Long, an Independent, took 339 votes, or 6.85 percent.
Only voters within District No. 2 were eligible to cast a primary ballot in the commissioners’ race, but the November race will be countywide.
County Auditor Patty Rosand said 15,026 voters in District No. 2 received a primary ballot.
District No. 2 covers the central third of the county’ demographic area from Valley Creek in west-central Port Angeles to Boyce Road in Carlsborg.
The commissioner’s position pays $63,348 per year.