Kitsap posts additional election results, was first county to report

Results from about 5,000 (corrected from past reports) ballots were added to the vote total on Wednesday afternoon, contributing to the eventual expectation of a 50 percent voter turnout in Kitsap County for the state’s first top-two primary.

“From an auditor’s perspective things went very very well,” said Kitsap County Auditor Walt Washington. “From a turnout perspective we were a little disappointed. Although in Kitsap County, as usual, the turnout percentage was greater than the rest of the state.”

Two races, for South Kitsap Commissioner and Superior Court Judge, were considered upsets. Republican Tim Matthes drew the most votes in the South Kitsap Commissioner's race, followed by Democrat Charlotte Garrido — who preceded current two-term SK Commissioner Jan Angel in that office.

Monty Mahan, who was the first to declare for the seat and earned the endorsement of local mayors, came in third.

Matthes led the total with 5,465 votes (42.11 percent), while Garrido managed 4,434 (33.08 percent). Mahan tallied 2,682 votes (20.01 percent), while Independent candidate Paul Nuchims, who withdrew from the race this weekend, received 24 votes (4.65 percent).

For the Kitsap County Superior Court judgeship, Jeanette Dalton had the lead with Bruce Danielson finishing second. Greg Wall, who was endorsed by Central Kitsap Commissioner Josh Brown, Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge and several other high-profile lawyers, finished third.

Dalton, who was the most recent entry in the judge's race, received 16,548 (43.18 percent), followed by 12,578 (43.18 percent) for Danielson and 9,099 (23.74 percent) for Wall.

Prior to the latest count Wall was not ready to concede, feeling that margins would narrow once all the votes were counted. If they do not, he said, he plans to throw his support to Dalton.

Tuesday's primary also included two South Kitsap legislative races where there were only two candidates — meaning the results had no effect on the fall contest.

In Kitsap, South Kitsap Commissioner Jan Angel edged Former Port Orchard Mayor Kim Abel, 5,973 (52.21 percent) to 5,416 (47.34 percent).

Also in the 26th District, incumbent Rep. Larry Seaquist drew 6,506 (58.01 percent) votes over Marlyn Jensen, who received 4,673 votes (41.67 percent).

The 26th District covers both Kitsap and Pierce Counties, where Republicans Angel and Jensen made better showings (although the leader did not change).

In Pierce, Angel received 4,433 votes (53.21 percent) to 3,872 (46.48 percent) for Abel. Seaquist prevailed with 4,379 votes (52.28 percent) to Jensen's 3,971 (47.41 percent). Initial results were posted at 8:01 Tuesday night, prompting recognition from the Secretary of State as the first auditor’s office to submit election totals.

Kitsap County Elections Supervisor Dolores Gilmore said “We were first because our staff is really great. We were able to have everything ready to go and everything went very smooth and we were able to post the first results.”

“This was a coup for us,” said Washington. “Just on a personal pride level. My staff, are just the best. This is a good thing because we are ahead of the game. We plan ahead, make sure our poll sites are all working correctly. We stay in communication and get the results in as soon as we can.”

Gilmore said the process ran without a glitch. One change from previous years is that a greater percentage of voters personally delivered their ballots to the office in Port Orchard.

Gilmore said the office will count ballots on a daily basis up to September 3, when the election will be certified.

Washington, who was appointed as auditor in March and is running for his first elected term, said there are several outreach programs in development to get voters registered for the November 4 General Election.

One program is a result of a partnership with the League of Women Voters to run a voter registration booth at this week’s Kitsap County Fair.

For complete results go to www.kitsapgov.com and select “Elections.”

Kitsap was the first county to post election results Tuesday evening, something attributed to “a great staff.”

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.