PORT ANGELES — Clallam County candidates in two close races could only wait Wednesday for the next set of general election results Friday.
The races for District 3 commissioner and the prosecuting attorney were close after initial counts Tuesday.
Bill Peach led in the county commission race and Mark Nichols led in the prosecuting attorney race, but with thousands of ballots still uncounted, they will have to wait until the next count by
4:30 p.m. Friday to see which way the races will go.
Tuesday night’s count was of 18,238 ballots out of 46,915 issued, for a voter turnout of 38.87 percent.
On Wednesday, 2,175 ballots were processed, with bags of votes untouched, said Shoona Riggs, county chief deputy auditor and elections supervisor and candidate for county auditor.
In the prosecuting attorney race, Nichols led fellow Republican William Payne by 672 votes.
Nichols’ vote count was 7,896, or 52.22 percent, while Payne had 7,224 votes, or 47.78 percent, after the county Auditor’s Office processed the first batch of general election ballots.
Nichols, 42, of Port Angeles is the county’s hearing examiner and a former chief deputy in the prosecutor’s office.
Payne, 57, of Sequim was appointed to lead the office by two of three county commissioners in January. He was formerly an assistant state attorney general.
On Wednesday, Nichols was fishing on the Sol Duc River with friends.
“I’m just decompressing and passing time until Friday’s returns are available,” Nichols said.
Payne said his daily work as the current prosecutor is keeping him too busy for thoughts about the election results.
“I’ve still got a job to do until it’s certified,” he said.
Commissioner race
In the commissioner race, Democrat Sissi Bruch trailed Peach,a Republican, by 439 votes after Tuesday’s initial count.
Bruch, 54, had 8,346 votes, or 48.72 percent, while Peach, 59, received 8,785 votes, or 51.28 percent.
Peach, a Forks resident, and Bruch of Port Angeles are vying to replace longtime Commissioner Mike Doherty, D-Port Angeles, who will retire at the end of this year.
Peach is a retired forester and former executive director of the Quileute tribe.
Bruch is a senior planner for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe and a Port Angeles City Council member.
The commissioner seat represents District 3, which extends from west Port Angeles to the West End.
Peach said he spent Wednesday working with the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce and plans to research voting patterns by precinct.
“I think I have to [keep busy]. It’s like staying up waiting for Santa Claus,” he said.
He said that, given that he gained more than Bruch between the first and second count in the primaries in August, he believes he will win.
“I think there is a very good chance,” he said.
Bruch could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
