Readers, a reminder that today is the last day of the August 2015 Top Two Election, the elimination round of our dysfunctional two-part general election system.
Ballots must be postmarked or returned by a drop box by 8 PM tonight, or they won’t count. Be sure yours is in, and then remind friends and family to vote, too. Chances are, many of them haven’t. Don’t assume — ask!
Participation so far in this election has been utterly abysmal, with turnout well below twenty percent statewide, and even worse than that in the state’s three biggest counties, which account for around two-thirds of the population.
- In King County, turnout cracked 15% last night
- Snohomish is at 13.8%
- Pierce is at 12.3% (worst in the state!)
Average statewide turnout is currently 16.2%, far below Secretary of State Kim Wyman’s prediction of twenty-six percent (which itself is very low).
Douglas County currently has the best turnout, with 46% of three hundred and twenty-two voters participating. (Only a fraction of the electorate were sent ballots; most of the county doesn’t have a Top Two election).
Tiny Garfield County has the second best turnout, with over 37% of 1,522 voters participating. Pacific County, home to communities like Long Beach and Ilwaco, is in third place with 35% turnout. However, only five hundred and sixty-three of Pacific’s voters have a Top Two election this year.
The team at NPI urges you to be a voter and get your ballot in. If you would like to use a drop box to return your ballot, here is a list of locations for major counties:
- King County
- Snohomish County
- Pierce County
- Whatcom County
- Skagit County
- Thurston County
- Spokane County
- Clark County
Need help voting? NPI doesn’t endorse or rate candidates for office, but the Progressive Voter’s Guide is available if you want to learn more about who’s on your ballot. You can also use the official voter’s pamphlet published by your county.
Starting tonight, after 8 PM, we will be offering live coverage of election results here on the Cascadia Advocate. Most counties will only report one batch of results tonight, and not update again till tomorrow afternoon.
The top race we’re watching is the “beauty contest” in the 30th Legislative District between Democrat Carol Gregory and Republican Teri Hickel.
Gregory and Hickel are each guaranteed a spot on the November 2015 ballot because they were the only ones to file. They nevertheless appear on the August Top Two ballot because the position of state representative is partisan, and state-level partisan races always appear on the Top Two ballot.