Peninsula Daily News and The Associated Press
The most expensive initiative campaign in state history is coming to a close, with today marking the deadline for voters to have their ballots postmarked or returned to a drop-off site.
This year’s election is headlined by three statewide initiative campaigns, including Costco Wholesale’s effort to privatize the state’s liquor system.
Anti-tax guru Tim Eyman has an anti-highway tolling initiative on the ballot while another measure would expand the use of training and background checks for long-term care workers.
Several local offices are being decided on the North Olympic Peninsula, including a new commissioner for Clallam County and city council members in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Port Townsend.
School board members also are being selected as well as board members for taxing districts covering fire protection, the Sequim swimming pool and a rural Jefferson County water district.
Not a lot of interest has been shown the election, based on voter-turnout statistics released Monday in Clallam and Jefferson counties.
The Clallam County Auditor’s Office reported a 38.9 percent voter turnout as of Monday.
Election officials received 2,617 more ballots Monday for a total of 17,804 of 45,731 registered voters.
Jefferson County Voter Registration Coordinator Betty Johnson announced a 50.5 percent voter turnout on Monday.
Johnson said 10,947 of 21,685 eligible voters in Jefferson County had returned a ballot.
In Port Townsend, where voters are considering a city ballot measure as well as deciding a new City Council member, 3,218 of the 6,835 mailed ballots had been returned. The city’s voter turnout stood at 47 percent.
Unless a ballot is mailed in time for a Nov. 8 postmark, voters should deliver their ballots until 8 p.m. at a designated drop box.
In Clallam County, drop boxes are located at the Clallam County Courthouse 223 E. Fourth St, Port Angeles; Sequim Motor Vehicle Licensing Office, 1001 E. Washington St., Suite 5, Sequim; Sequim City Hall, 152 W. Cedar St., Sequim; and the Forks District Court lobby, 502 E. Division St., Forks.
In Jefferson County, marked ballots can be returned to the Auditor’s Office in the courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend; dropped into a box in the rear parking lot of the courthouse or taken to a box in the parking lot of the Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock.
Secretary of State Sam Reed is predicting that about 47 percent of voters statewide will return ballots, with the results from about half of those to be reported tonight.
“I would much prefer the turnout to be higher,” Reed said.
Costco has committed a record $22 million to the passage of the liquor measure, and the company has drawn an opposition that has spent about $12 million.
The measure would shutter the state’s liquor system by June and begin allowing private retailers to sell liquor.
The measure is projected to bring in tens of millions of dollars more in revenues for state and local governments, according to a state analysis.
The Eyman initiative would force the Legislature to approve any tolls instead of giving that power to a commission. State officials fear that will make it impossible to sell bonds backed by tolls.
The initiative for long-term care workers would increase the number of training hours from 35 to 75 and would require federal background checks instead of state ones.
The care workers measure would cost about $18 million over the next two years, according to a state analysis. Lawmakers had delayed a similar plan because of budget cuts.