PORT ANGELES — Clallam County voter turnout in Tuesday’s all-mail primary election has risen to more than 18 percent.
The Clallam County Auditor’s Office had received by Thursday 8,399 of the 45,850 ballots it has issued for the election, for a voter turnout of 18.32 percent.
Of those, 660 ballots came in Thursday, Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said.
Voting is slow in counties across the state, Rosand said in an email.
“We hope for a pick-up in votes over the weekend,” she wrote.
“With no incumbents running for governor, attorney general, state auditor or secretary of state, there should be some high voter interest in this primary election.
“Some of the most important leadership positions in our state are due to change this year, and voters need to have a say in who will be leading this state in the next four years.”
In Jefferson County, 28.11 percent of registered Jefferson County voters had returned a ballots for the primary election as of Thursday, voter registration coordinator Betty Johnson said, with 6,152 ballots returned out of 21,884 issued countywide.
Ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday; hand-delivered to the Auditor’s Office at the County Courthouse at 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles; or placed in a ballot drop-box no later than 8 p.m. that day.
Drop-boxes are outside the courthouse, in the Forks District Court lobby at 502 E. Division St. and at Sequim City Hall at 152 W. Cedar St.
A proposed sales tax hike is on Sequim ballots, and a proposed bond measure is on Port Angeles ballots.
State and regional races on the ballot include U.S. Senate and congressional seat, governor and state legislative seats.
The general election will be Nov. 6.
Any voter who did not receive a Clallam County primary election ballot should phone the Auditor’s Office at 360-417-2221 or visit the office to pick up a replacement.
Voters also can visit www.clallam.net/elections, click on “My Vote” and print a replacement ballot.
Free copies of the Peninsula Daily News’ 2012 North Olympic Peninsula Voter Guide for the primary election are available at the PDN office at 305 W. First St. in downtown Port Angeles and online at www.peninsuladailynews.com.