PORT ANGELES — Slightly more than 40 percent of Clallam County voters have returned their ballots for Tuesday’s all-mail general election, the Auditor’s Office said Wednesday.
Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said the office had received 18,876 ballots as of Wednesday, with 1,857 ballots pouring in that day.
That made for a 40.08 percent voter turnout after 47,094 ballots were mailed to registered voters, Rosand said.
Rosand said she’s expecting 86 percent total voter turnout for this year’s general election, which includes the U.S. presidential race.
The 2008 general election saw about 85 percent.
Secretary of State Sam Reed has said he expects an 81 percent voter turnout statewide in Tuesday’s election.
Rosand said the Auditor’s Office did not see a surge of last-minute voter registrations as last Monday’s registration deadline approached, though 86 people did come to the Auditor’s Office in person to register that day.
Rosand said she attributes the lack of last-minute voter registration to the state’s implementation of online registration between the 2008 general election and this year’s contest.
The Auditor’s Office has broken the 47,000 registered voters’ figure for the first time in county history, Rosand said, with just more than 1,100 people registering between the primary election in August and now.
Ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, hand-delivered to the Auditor’s Office at the County Courthouse at 223 E. Fourth St. in Port Angeles or placed in a ballot drop-box no later than 8 p.m. that day.
Drop-boxes are outside the courthouse, in the Forks District Court lobby at 502 E. Division St. and at Sequim City Hall at 152 W. Cedar St.
Any voter who did not receive a Clallam County primary election ballot should phone the Auditor’s Office at 360-417-2221 or visit the office to pick up a replacement.
Voters also can visit www.clallam.net/elections, click on “My Vote” and print a replacement ballot.
Free copies of the Peninsula Daily News’ 2012 North Olympic Peninsula Voter Guide for the general election are available as long as they last at city halls, county courthouses, public libraries, senior centers and other public locations as well as at the PDN office at 305 W. First St. in downtown Port Angeles and online at www.peninsuladailynews.com.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
