PORT TOWNSEND — Two tight races switched their status in a second count of general election ballots Wednesday but remained too close to call, said Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge.
A proposed levy lid lift to provide fire and emergency services in the city of Port Townsend, losing by a margin of four votes in the initial count Tuesday night, on Wednesday took the lead by eight votes, with 2,076 votes, or 50.11 percent, in favor of it and 2,067 votes, or 49.89 percent, opposed.
In a close Port Townsend City Council race, Deborah Stinson led Jack Range by 15 votes in Wednesday’s count after trailing him by eight votes in the initial count.
Stinson, a 56-year-old retired information technology worker who won the Jefferson County Heart of Service award in 2011, on Wednesday had 1,955 votes, or 49.97 percent, over Range, who had 1,940 votes, or
49.59 percent.
Range, 25, is an investigator for Jefferson Associated Counsel.
The two seek the Position 3 seat vacated by Laurie Medlicott.
The levy lid lift would authorize a maximum levy rate for collection in 2012 of $2.4868 per $1,000 assessed value, an increase of about 43 cents per $1,000 assessed value.
The increase is restricted to providing for fire protection, prevention and emergency services by contract with East Jefferson Fire-Rescue to match the contribution of residents in the unincorporated area of East Jefferson County.
Eldridge’s office counted only Port Townsend’s outstanding votes Wednesday, a total of 749 ballots.
Of the Port Townsend ballots, 22 are left, which includes those not counted and ballots that were not filled out correctly.
Eldridge had resolved to complete the Port Townsend tally by Wednesday in order to resolve the two close races but on Wednesday said they are still too close to call.
The next count is scheduled to be completed by noon today.
An estimated 1,385 ballots are left to count.
That count will include ballots received Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, Eldridge predicted only a few hundred ballots would arrive at the office after the election and was surprised when nearly 2,000 countywide ballots came in Wednesday.
The Jefferson County Auditor’s Office issued 6,849 ballots in Port Townsend for the all-mail election, and the new totals reflected that 4,459 votes, or 60.67 percent, had been returned.
Countywide, 13,154 ballots, or 60.66 percent of the 21,683 ballots issued to registered voters, have been returned.
The remaining ballots in the auditor’s possession will be tallied during today’s count, while letters to all the challenged ballots have been sent to the voter.
Challenged ballots are defined as those that are not signed or where the signature is not legible.
Voters respond to the auditor’s letter by coming into the office and verifying their signature, but they cannot change their vote, Eldridge said.
If voters do not respond to the letters by Nov. 22, the auditor will attempt to contact them by phone.
In the City Council race, an automatic recount will take place if the voter spread is less than half of 1 percent.
The standard for passage or defeat of the fire levy is a simple majority, so if one side wins by just one vote, this will decide the election, and there is no automatic recount.
A citizen wishing for a recount of a close election can petition for one but must pay for the recount at a rate of 25 cents per ballot, Eldridge said.
In the Port Townsend City Council race for Position 4, Deputy Mayor George Randels conceded the election to challenger Robert Gray on Tuesday night after Gray drew 1,795 votes, or 58.41 percent, against Randels’ 1,256 votes, or 40.87 percent.
The election will be certified Nov. 29.
