UPDATE: Additional ballots not enough to pass Port Townsend school bond election

PORT TOWNSEND — After 313 additional ballots were counted on Wednesday afternoon, the Port Townsend School District’s $33.8 million school bond election is still shy of the 60 percent affirmative vote needed to pass.

With 5,949 ballots counted, the results currently tally at:

Approved: 3,511, or 59.06 percent.

Rejected: 2,434, or 40.94 percent.

Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge said she isn’t prepared to officially declare the bond election as failed, but she doesn’t see much of chance to turn around the results as they stand now.

“The election will not be certified until June 4,” Eldridge said.

“But I do not think it is mathematically possible to reach the 60 percent required to approve the bond.”

Eldridge said with the current results, an additional 82 approval votes would need to come in.

Only 40 ballots currently remain uncounted as a result of signature verification problems.

Eldridge said the affected voters have been contacted, but even if they were all yes votes it would still not be enough.

“I don’t believe there are enough ballots left,” Eldridge said.

“The ballots which come in after this point are usually postmarked too late.”

Tuesday was the postmark deadline. Ballots in the all-mail election could be turned in at the courthouse until 8 o’clock Tuesday night.

EARLIER REPORT:

PORT TOWNSEND — A $33.8 million bond election to rebuild an elementary school and make sorely needed repairs at others is too close to call.

After 5,632 ballots were tallied shortly after voting in the all-mail election closed Tuesday evening, the bond measure was losing by less than one percent.

A 60 percent supermajority is required to pass a school bond issue in Washington state.

The tally so far:

Approved: 3,324, or 59.02 percent.

Rejected: 2,308, or 40.98 percent.

“This is too close to call,” Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge said.

“There are still votes to be counted.”

Eldridge said 141 ballots were delivered to the courthouse after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday and were not included in the nighttime results.

“I’m saying that we expect around 200 ballots to show up in the mail tomorrow,” Eldridge said.

“There is a chance they could change the outcome.”

Ballots not included in Tuesday night’s count will be tallied this morning — and the results are expected by 1 p.m.