PORT ANGELES — The margin narrowed between candidates running for Position 2 on the Clallam Bay Fire District commission and for Position 6 on the Port Angeles City Council after a fifth count of general election ballots on Saturday.
The Auditor’s Office announced a voter turnout of 48.35 percent on Saturday, saying that some of the 26,057 ballots received out of the 53,887 provided registered voters had not been counted yet.
The office received more than 10,000 ballots on Tuesday, Election Day, said Auditor Shoona Riggs.
Neighboring Jefferson County had, as of Friday, 13,810 ballots counted, with about another 1,000 left to count.
Jefferson County now has a 53.39 percent voter turnout of the 25,865 voters provided ballots.
Another count is set in each county on Tuesday.
One vote separated appointee Karin Ashton from Greg Belamy Sr., in the race for a seat on the Clallam Bay Fire District (District 5). After Saturday’s count Ashton had 109 votes, or 50 percent of the vote to Bellamy’s 108 votes, or 49.54 percent, a difference of 0.46 percent.
That could trigger a mandatory machine recount if the margin does not change in future counts.
A mandatory machine recount for non-statewide races is required when the difference between candidates is less than 2,000 and also less than one-half of 1 percent of the total number of votes cast for both candidates, according to the Washington Secretary of State.
Nina Napiontek’s lead narrowed to 36 votes over opponent Navarra Carr for a Port Angeles City Council seat.
Napiontek now has 2,395 votes, or 50.19 percent, to Carr’s 2,359 votes, or 49.43 percent.
Outcomes in all races in Clallam County remained the same after today’s count.
State law requires daily counts of ballots in counties with populations over 75,000. The U.S. Census Bureau released an estimate of 76,737 people living in Clallam County as of July 1, 2018.
Riggs said in an email that she is “not surprised we had over 10,000 of the ballots returned on Election Day,” because of the number of races on the ballot and a law that came into effect in July which allows voters to register up to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Clallam County Auditor Shoona Riggs examines a scanned ballot on a computer screen during Saturday’s ballot count at the Clallam County Courthouse in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
A count was conducted on Saturday because the office will be closed on Monday for Veterans Day, she said.
Brendan Meyer maintained his lead over Martha Cunningham for the Port Angeles Council’s Position 7 with 56.04 percent to 47.59 percent (2,419 to 2,302 votes).
Charlie McCaughan has won the Position 5 seat on the Port Angeles City Council, with 75.31 percent of the vote to Richard W. “Doc” Robinson’s 23.98 percent (3,502 to 1,115 votes).
The City of Port Angeles’ proposition to raise sales tax to pay for affordable housing projects has won 56.04 percent to 43.96 percent (2,935 to 2,233 votes).
In the only countywide race, incumbent Port of Port Angeles Commissioner Connie Beauvais retained her seat with 63.51 percent of the vote to Maury Modine’s 36.05 percent for the West End-Port Angeles-area District 3 position (13,515 to 7,671 votes).
Democratic Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias retained his District 1 seat with 54.44 percent of the vote (6,242) to the 45.34 percent (5,199 votes) of challenger Brandon Janisse, a Republican.
It was the only partisan race on the ballot.
Olympic Medical Center commission candidate Anne Marie Henninger has won a seat against Nate Adkisson, with 64.47 percent of the vote (13,336) to Adkisson’s 35.19 percent (7,280).
Jean Hordyk has retained her OMC seat with 69.01 percent (13,713) to Ted Bowen’s 30.52 percent (6,064).
Challenger J. Mike Rudd has won the Position 5 seat on the county Park and Recreation District 1 (Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center) board against incumbent Jan L. Richardson, 58.47 percent to 40.99 percent (6,148 to 4,310 votes).
Mike Gilstrap bested Danny Smith for the Forks City Council Position 4 seat, 58.80 percent to 42.34 percent (330 to 246 votes).
Katie Marks won the Port Angeles School Board Position 3 seat against Arwen Rice 65.06 percent to 34.54 percent (5,055 to 2,684).
In races shared by voters in both Clallam and Jefferson counties:
— Challenger William (Bill) Miano won the Fire District 3’s Position 3 seat over incumbent James Barnfather.
— Jim Stoffer won the Sequim School Board District 3 seat against Beth Smithson.
— Steve Hopf won the county Fire District 2, Position 3 seat against Keith Cortner.
— Fire District 3’s proposition to renew an emergency medical services levy passed.