SEQUIM — Special election ballots are in the hands of voters with a due date of 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Clallam County elections are for two levies for Sequim School District — one to maintain programming, the other to fix a number of facility issues — a Quillayute Valley School District replacement educational programs and operation levy, and a Forks Community Hospital emergency medical services levy.
A small number of Jefferson County voters vote in the Sequim School District election.
Jefferson County special elections are for replacement Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levies for Chimacum and Queets-Clearwater school districts.
Not all registered voters in Clallam and Jefferson counties received ballots, as this election pertains strictly to the affected voting districts.
As of Tuesday, Clallam County elections officials reported 31.2 percent, or 9,997 ballots returned out of the 32,007 provided voters.
Jefferson County reported a voter turnout of 34.4 percent, with 3,847 ballots returned out of 11,198 ballots provided voters.
Sequim School District proposes two levies: a four-year, $29.7 million Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) levy that replaces Sequim’s current local tax and pays for core learning functions not supported in the state’s basic education formula, and a four-year, $15 million capital projects levy to address school building issues.
Taxpayers in the district would pay between $1.87 ($1.24 for the EP&O levy, 63 cents for the capital projects levy) and $1.89 ($1.26/$0.63) per $1,000 of assessed value from 2022 through 2026, district officials said.
The Quillayute levy is a four-year EP&O levy of about $2.86 million to fill financial education gaps not funded by the state. It would have taxpayers pay an estimated $1.25 and $1.16 per $1,000 of assessed value beginning in 2022, according to VoteWa.gov.
The Forks Community Hospital proposal would add an additional tax of 32 cents or less per $1,000 for six years for an estimated $1.176 million to help fund emergency medical care and services, according to the resolution passed by the Commission of Public Hospital District 1.
The Chimacum School District replacement EP&O levy is a four-year levy that amounts to a total of $8.7 million to finance educational operations and maintenance. It would cost taxpayers about 86 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation in 2022 and would decrease each year to a low of 82 cents per 1,000 assessed value, according to VoteWa.gov.
The Queets-Clearwater School District EP&O replacement levy is a three-year levy, estimated at about $225,000. It would cost taxpayers an estimated $1.25 per $1,000 in assessed valuation each year starting in 2022 to finance maintenance and operation expenses, according to VoteWa.gov.
Registrations and updates can be completed at votewa.gov, by contacting Clallam County Elections at 360-417-2221 or by emailings elections@co.clallam.wa.us.
New registrations can be made in person until 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Clallam County Auditor’s Office at the county courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Suite 1, in Port Angeles.
An online voters’ guide is available at votewa.gov.
