Letter to Editor | This Hallowe’en, don’t ‘boo,’ vote

||| FROM STEVE BERNHEIM |||

In August, voter turnout in San Juan County was 46%, the lowest mid-term primary election turnout in twenty years. Fewer than 7,000 county residents cast primary ballots out of more than 15,000 registered.

Recent mid-term Primary Elections: The highest recent mid-term primary election turnout was in 2010 when 64% of registered voters returned ballots to help Patty Murray and Dino Rossi become candidates for U.S. Senate. In the November general election later that year, 81% of registered County voters turned out. Barack Obama was halfway through his first term.

Mid-term primary election turnout was lower in 2014 when 41% of San Juan County registered voters helped put Rick Larsen and B.J. Guillot on the November ballot for U.S. Congress. Later that year in the November general election, 72% of registered County voters turned out (and passed a hospital district levy by 14 votes).

Recent General Elections: The highest local presidential election turnout was 91% in 2008 (Obama/McCain) (vs. 62% nationwide) and in 2020 (Biden/Trump) (vs. 65% nationwide); the lowest recent presidential election turnout was in November 2024, when 87% of San Juan County registered voters returned ballots in the Trump/Harris race (vs. 63% nationwide).

Mid-term general election turnout hit a high of 84% in 2018 when carbon pollution fees and Maria Cantwell were on the November ballot and 11,226 county residents voted. Turnout dipped in the 2022 mid-term, when 78% of registered voters turned out (and rejected a charter review commission proposal by 29 votes).

And how many will vote this week? So far, 6,200 ballots have been returned, about 40%. More than 60 ballots have been challenged ! See if your ballot has been counted or challenged here: voter.votewa.gov/portal2023/login.aspx.

There were 11,624 registered county voters in 2008; there are 15,212 today. More than 6,800 – or about 45% — are 65 and older.

Election data from www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1230/Archived-Elections.