Results for the Aug. 2 primary election will be certified by the Clark County canvassing board today, bringing to an end any speculation over which candidates will move on to the general election in November.
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said Monday the elections office had tallied about 400 ballots that day and would post updated results shortly after 5 p.m. even though election outcomes wouldn’t change.
Early on, Kimsey estimated voter turnout for the primary would be between 40-45 percent. In the end, voter turnout was 43.6 percent with just more than 142,000 voters (including Monday’s ballots) of the county’s 325,231 registered voters casting ballots.
“We generally see more turnout in the midterm primaries than we do in the odd-numbered years,” Kimsey said.
The last midterm primary in 2018 had a voter turnout of 36.13 percent and the 2014 midterm primary drew 28.61 percent of voters.
When comparing voter turnout, Kimsey said it is important to compare similar elections.
“Every election is different, but these midterms are more comparable than primaries in odd-numbered years,” he said. “And they’re different than primaries when the president is being elected.”
With several key races, such as the 3rd Congressional District, Clark County sheriff and three county council seats, on the November ballot, Kimsey said he expects voter interest to remain high but said it was too soon for a prediction. Voter turnout for the 2018 general election was 69.51 percent.
“We think it will be higher (than the primary). I think the sheriff’s office race is going to get a lot of attention,” Kimsey said.
What was different in this year’s primary was the large number of ballots that came in late. The elections office received 92,275 ballots from Aug. 1 through Aug. 3, 65 percent of all ballots cast. The late-arriving ballots also meant election results took longer to post.
Kimsey said he expects that trend to continue into the November general election and planned to bring in extra staff to help speed things along.
“We’re making a number of changes. We’re trying to bring in additional signature verification staff, we’ll bring in people for a phone bank, we’re trying to hire people for the front counter and we’re trying to fill a vacant position in the office,” he said.
While he understands some people may want to hold onto their ballots until the end, Kimsey cautioned it could mean trouble if your ballot is challenged.
Ballots are typically challenged if the signature on the ballot doesn’t match the signature on record, or the signature is missing from the return envelope.
“You’re going to have less time to cure that issue if you cast your ballot on the last day or the day before,” Kimsey said.
To be counted in the election results, challenged ballots must be corrected by the day before elections results are certified.
Information for the November general election, such as a sample ballot and online voters’ guide, will be posted on the elections website in the coming weeks. For more information, go to https://clark.wa.gov/elections.
-- Shari Phiel
