PORT TOWNSEND — A clerical error in the county Auditor’s Office has resulted in the delayed delivery of 125 ballots in West Jefferson County, but voters should receive them in advance of the election ending Nov. 3.
“We were alerted to this issue on Monday, printed them here in the office and mailed them out that afternoon,” Auditor’s Office staff member Betty Johnson said.
“Voters will get their ballots in time to mail them back and be counted in the election.”
Johnson said the error occurred after Clallam County’s annexation of a small area just south of the county line into the newly created Fire District No. 1.
The annexed area included Undie and Dowans Creek roads, which contained 17 active voters.
This resulted in the need for a separate district to deliver the correct ballot and for the proper assessment of taxes.
The area was previously designated as voting precinct 600.
After the annexation, the voters there were designated as 600-B with the “new” voters placed in 600-A.
The mistake occurred when the office failed to correctly acknowledge the voters in the newly created 600-A precinct, which includes Oil City Road, Upper Hoh Road and Lower Hoh Road.
‘Full responsibility’
“I take full responsibility for this,” Johnson said. “I missed a step, and the system didn’t identify those voters as belonging to anything.”
The ballot includes races for the Port of Port Townsend and three unopposed Quillayute Valley School Board seats, along with statewide initiatives and advisory votes.
An additional $46 expense was incurred when the ballots were mailed first class at 48.5 cents per ballot instead of the 10-cent bulk rate.
Johnson said all of the ballots should have arrived by Wednesday or today.
Anyone in the precinct or any other voter who has not yet received a ballot should call Johnson at 360-385-9117.
“Thank goodness this came to our attention this Monday rather than next Monday or later in the week,” Johnson said.
“If that had happened, I would have driven to Forks and hand-delivered the ballots to everybody.”
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
