Dismal election turnout expected

Today is primary election day, and the forecast for Snohomish County’s turnout has been downgraded, county Auditor Carolyn Diepenbrock said.

Of more than 340,000 ballots mailed, the county has received nearly 59,000 ballots back through the post office. Another 1,900 have been dropped off at designated ballot collection sites coffee shops, grocery stores and libraries with voting machines.

Together, that’s about 18 percent turnout.

Ballots must be returned or postmarked by today to be counted.

Based on turnout in past years, Diepenbrock predicted 38 percent turnout. The all-mail election puts ballots in the hands of more voters, driving up participation that might have otherwise lagged.

On Monday, she updated her prediction.

“I don’t think it’s going to be 38 (percent), but I bet it’ll be over 30,” she said. The county has been verifying voter signatures on each ballot and preparing ballots to be fed into machines. Votes will be counted starting early this morning.

Workers are capable of tabulating up to 90,000 ballots today, Diepenbrock said, based on productivity in the 2004 general election.

She hopes to count all ballots received in the mail through today and release figures shortly after 8 p.m.

This is the earliest primary election ever, moved up a month by the Legislature to buy more time between the primary and general elections for officials and voters.

It’s a pick-a-party primary and voters must strictly adhere to a party line with their partisan votes.

All partisan votes where a voter has chosen more than one party will be disqualified.

Voters have the option of declaring their party by connecting the line next to the party of their choice at the beginning of the ballot. That serves as a sort of insurance policy, protecting their partisan votes even if they stray later on the ballot, Diepenbrock said.

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.

Hours for all locations

Election day: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For information, call 425-388-3444.

Online ballot tracking and election results

www.snoco.org and search “elections.”

Disabled access voting sites

(Electronic voting machines are available for disabled voters or the general voting public)

Sno-Isle Libraries

Edmonds: 650 Main St.

Lynnwood: 19200 44th Ave. W.

Marysville: 6120 Grove St.