Democrats hold their leads in 42nd District as Whatcom releases Wednesday vote count
Democrats held their lead for the 42nd Legislative District’s two open House seats after the second day of returns were posted at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, by the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office.
Turnout was 86% through Wednesday afternoon, second only to the record 88% of the county’s registered voters who cast ballots in 2008 when Barrack Obama won the presidency.
Wednesday’s count included ballots with valid postmarks in Wednesday’s mail and most of the ballots from nearly two dozen dropboxes around Whatcom County, Auditor Diana Bradrick told The Bellingham Herald.
An updated count was scheduled for late Thursday afternoon, Nov. 5, including the last of the dropbox ballots and valid ballots arriving with Thursday’s mail.
On Wednesday evening:
▪ Blaine Councilwoman Alicia Rule, a Democrat, led Rep. Luanne Van Werven, R-Lynden, for House position 1 by 51% to 49%.
“I’m still a little bit in disbelief,” Rule said Tuesday night. It was her first state race.
Van Werven, who has held the 42nd’s position 1 seat since 2014, told The Herald Tuesday night that she was hoping Wednesday’s updated ballot count would show different results.
That race tightened slightly, but Rule still led Wednesday by about 2,100 votes out of more than 90,000 cast.
Some 5,314 votes were added Wednesday in the Rule-Van Werven race, according to a comparison of data from the auditor’s website.
▪ State Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, led Jennifer Sefzik, a Custer Republican, for House position 2 by 52% to 48%.
“I feel confident,” Shewmake told The Herald on Wednesday night.
Some 5,298 votes were added Wednesday in the Shewmake-Sefzik race, according to a comparison of data from the auditor’s website.
Washington’s 42nd District race was the second most expensive in the state, with $1,465,476 in contributions through Monday, Nov. 2, according to data from the state Pubic Disclosure Commission.
The 42nd District will likely now have only one Republican in the Legislature — state Sen. Doug Ericksen of Ferndale, who narrowly defeated Bellingham City Councilwoman Pinky Vargas for a second four-year term in 2018.
Boundaries of the 42nd include Bellingham’s northern neighborhoods and the rest of northern Whatcom County.
Turnout high
More than 86% of Whatcom County voters returned their ballots through Wednesday in Washington state’s vote-by-mail election, with the turnout this year expected to match or surpass that of a typical presidential election.
There were 743 ballots waiting to be counted Wednesday, the Auditor’s Office said on its website, but more ballots likely would arrive with Thursday’s mail and they will be counted if they are postmarked by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
A steady stream of voters headed to the Whatcom County Courthouse amid breezy winds and persistent rain to cast their ballots in person until about 6 p.m. Tuesday, Bradrick said.
“Then it really slumped. I think we only had about 3 people in the Council Chambers at 8 p.m., and several people in the rotunda still voting,” Bradrick told The Herald in an email.
Spontaneous protests were reported in several cities around the nation — including Seattle — when President Trump falsely claimed victory in the Presidential race, but Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deb Slater said there were no incidents involving the election in Whatcom County.
No election-related incidents were mentioned on Bellingham Police’s social media accounts or at its online daily activity log.
In results released at 5 p.m. Wednesday:
1st Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Kirkland Democrat, defeated Jeffrey Beeler Sr., a Republican from Sultan, in the 1st Congressional District race.
DelBene had 60% of the vote and Beeler had 40%.
“The next Congress has immediate work to do,” DelBene said in a statement. “The COVID-19 pandemic is gaining strength across the country, families are worried about being able to stay in their homes and put food on the table, and our economy is hurting. The federal government must take bold steps to protect those most at risk during this difficult time.”
That district covers most of Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish counties, plus almost one-third of King County.
2nd Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, an Everett Democrat, defeated Timothy S. Hazelo, a Republican from Oak Harbor, in the 2nd Congressional District.
Larsen had 65% of the vote and Hazelo had 34%.
“My first priority is to get another round of COVID-19 relief,” Larsen told The Herald.
“There’s still families hurting and people facing evictions or foreclosure and small business owners hurting,” he said. “Now that the election is over we’ll get past the hijinks.”
Larsen said he was confident that Biden will win the presidency and he was eager to work toward greater access to health care, a pair of highway transportation packages to create jobs, and vaccine that will end the pandemic.
“It will help to have a Democratic president who thinks of someone other than himself, who has these values,” Larsen said.
That district covers Bellingham and southwest Whatcom County, plus Island and San Juan counties and western Skagit and Snohomish counties.
40th Legislative District
Washington’s 40th Legislative District covers San Juan County, southern and eastern Bellingham neighborhoods and southern Whatcom County, and northwest Skagit County.
▪ For position 1, incumbent state Rep. Debra Lekanoff, a Democrat from Bow, was unopposed and was elected with 97% of the vote. Write-in candidates had 3%.
▪ Incumbent position 2 state Rep. Alex Ramel, a Democrat from Bellingham, defeated Russ Dzialo, a Republican from Bellingham, by 73% to 27%.
Ramel was appointed in January to finish the term of Jeff Morris, who resigned to take a job in the private sector.
▪ Incumbent state Sen. Liz Lovelett, a Democrat from Anacortes, defeated Charles Carrell, a Republican from Burlington, by 74% to 26%.
Lovelett is seeking her first full four-year term as a state senator. She was appointed in February 2019 to finish the term of Kevin Ranker and won a confirmation election in November 2019.
Whatcom County Superior Court
▪ For position 2, Evan Jones was leading James Erb, 51% to 49%.
▪ For position 4, David E. Freeman defeated Jim Nelson, 78% to 22%.
Public Utility District 1
Christine Grant defeated incumbent James McClure, 59% to 41%.
Grant, a policy consultant and Western Washington University instructor, will be the first woman elected to the board, according to Steve Jilk, PUD general manager.
Bellingham Transportation Fund
Bellingham voters approved renewing a two-tenths of 1% sales tax by 82% to18%.
Ferndale schools
Ferndale voters approved a second attempt at a levy to replace an expiring levy by 63% to 37%.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 5:30 PM.
