Election results will be updated in both Clallam and Jefferson counties today.
Results will be posted at www.peninsuladailynews.com after they are tabulated at noon.
Also counting ballots today will be the Grays Harbor Auditor’s Office, with the count scheduled at 4:30 p.m.
The northern portion of Grays Harbor, not including Aberdeen, is in the 24th Legislative District, which also covers all of both Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Total 24th District tallies will be posted on www.peninsuladailynews.com as soon as they are available.
Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, leads Dan Gase, a Port Angeles Republican who conceded Thursday, in the race for the 24th District Position 1 seat.
In the most recent count, Van De Wege had 23,975 votes, or 54.2 percent, to Gase’s 19,397 votes, or 45.8 percent.
Clallam County Commissioner Steve Tharinger leads Port of Port Angeles Commissioner Jim McEntire by 1,321 votes in the race for 24th District, Position 2 in the state Legislature.
Jefferson and Grays Harbor counties have not reported ballot counts since Tuesday night. Cllallam County tabulated some outstanding ballots Wednesday.
Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said her office, which had 10,698 ballots on hand Thursday, will count only 4,718 ballots today.
Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge plans to count all of the more than 3,600 ballots on hand today.
About 3,500 ballots remain to be counted in Gray’s Harbor County.
It is not known how many contain votes for candidates for two seats the 24th Legislative District.
Today’s batch of results could sway the race for Clallam County commissioner in District 3.
Incumbent Mike Doherty leads challenger Robin Poole by just 36 votes — 10,795 to 10,759 — in what has come down to the closest race of Tuesday’s election.
In another close contest, challenger Selinda Barkhuis leads incumbent Clallam County Treasurer Judy Scott with 50.73 percent of 19,228 ballots cast — a difference of 9,754 votes to 9,474 votes.
Eldridge has said that additional ballots are not expected to change outcomes of Jefferson County races.
Next week’s counts
The 4,718 Clallam County ballots processed today were received on Tuesday.
Results of the 3,980 ballots received in Clallam County on Wednesday are expected by 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Rosand said her office received about 2,000 ballots on Thursday. Those results will come Tuesday.
“We expect about 5,000 more tomorrow,” Rosand said Thursday.
Jefferson County’s voter turnout is 80.67 percent, with 17,543 ballots returned of the 21,746 mailed to registered voters.
Voter turnout in Clallam County is 60.13 percent, with 27,152 ballots returned from the 45,611 mailed, Rosand said.
“We would like to count every ballot, but 92 voters have forgotten to sign their ballot and 239 have signatures on the ballot envelope that doesn’t match what we have on file, so far,” Rosand wrote in an e-mail.
“Each of these voters has been sent a letter explaining what they need to do in order to have their ballot count.
“In an election with several close races, these voters can make a difference by returning the signature affidavits we have sent them.”
A story with candidate reaction will be published in the Peninsula Daily News on Sunday.
