More than 43 percent of ballots mailed countywide in Tuesday’s special election had been returned as of Wednesday, the Jefferson County Auditor said.
All registered voters in Jefferson County received ballots for the proposal to raise the sales tax by 0.3 percent, or 3 cents on each $10 purchase, which would benefit Jefferson Transit.
Of the 21,703 ballots issued countywide, which does not include replacement ballots, 9,384 — or 43.24 percent — had been returned, with 108 ballots undeliverable.
Only residents of specific school districts vote on proposed property tax levies in the Port Townsend, Chimacum and Quillayute Valley districts.
In the Port Townsend School District property tax levy election, 4,711 ballots had been returned out of 10,799 issued — a number that includes replacement ballots — for a 43.62 percent return rate.
In the Chimacum School District property tax levy election, 3,589 ballots had been returned out of 8,241 issued, including replacement ballots, for a total return of 43.55 percent.
Although the majority of voters in the Quillayute Valley School District are in Clallam County, 142 voters live in Jefferson County.
Of those, 38 — or 26.76 percent — had returned ballots.
Of the 3,014 Clallam County registered voters in that district, a total of 914, or 30.33 percent, had returned ballots.
Completed ballots must be mailed or hand-delivered by 8 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.
Ballots can be taken to the Auditor’s Office at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend; placed in a 24-hour drop box in the rear parking lot of the courthouse; or placed in another 24-hour drop box at the Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock.
Registered Jefferson County voters who have not received ballots should phone 360-385-9119.
