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Washington election turnout headed for record low

Fewer than 38% of ballots returned in off-year voting

By Jim Brunner, The Seattle Times
Published: November 12, 2015, 10:30pm

Voter turnout in Washington is on pace to set a dismal mark as the lowest ever for an off-year election.

As of Thursday evening, fewer than 38 percent of registered voters had returned ballots for the Nov. 8 election.

If those numbers stand, it’d be the smallest turnout since Washington began holding statewide elections in odd-numbered years in 1973. And it would be the lowest in any election going back to at least 1936, when the state began permanent voter registration, according to Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s office.

The previous low came in 1985, when just over 40 percent of registered voters participated.

While straggler ballots were still being counted, David Ammons, a spokesman for Wyman, acknowledged this year may set a “dubious record.” Wyman’s office had predicted 46 percent turnout.

The level of civic participation looks even punier by a broader measure, with just 28 percent of the voting-age population sending in ballots.

Interest in elections typically spikes in years with presidential contests. In 2008, when Barack Obama was first elected president, the state set a record with 85 percent turnout.

But off-year elections depend on the buzz around statewide initiatives and local races.

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