PORT TOWNSEND — Two-term incumbent Juelie Dalzell was leading Port Townsend private practice attorney Peggy Ann Bierbaum Tuesday by a narrow margin of 3 percent in a race that will determine the winner of the for Jefferson County prosecuting attorney position.
Because of Washington’s pick-a-party primary, where voters vote either a Republican, Democrat or nonpartisan ballot, the race is decided with Tuesday’s election because the only two candidates are Democrats.
As of Tuesday’s 8 p.m. count, Dalzell had received 3,255 votes to Bierbaum’s 3,063, or 51.5 percent to 48.46 percent.
The difference amounts to 192 votes.
The results tallied only ballots received by Monday and Tuesday.
The votes were tabulated from 9,607 ballots, or 46.03 percent, counted Tuesday from the overall 20,868 ballots sent out to Jefferson County voters.
At least 570 ballots were in hand but uncounted for races in Jefferson County, including those collected from ballot-drop boxes at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Auditor Donna Eldridge said she expects about 1,000 more ballots to arrive through the mail on Wednesday.
All those ballots will be counted Thursday.
The election will be certified on Sept. 29.
With the race so close, neither candidate is celebrating.
“It’s too close to call, so I’m going to wait for the certification before I celebrate,” said Dalzell at an election party at Democratic County Clerk Ruth Gordon’s house in Port Townsend.
