Here’s how Whatcom balloting is going. Plus, info on candidates for those yet to vote
No long lines for Whatcom County voters. Your ballot arrived by mail and, while you have until election day to vote, almost 60% had already voted by Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Your ballot must be postmarked or dropped in one of the 18 boxes around the county by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3.
If you’re voting now, The Bellingham Herald’s 2020 Voter Guide online can help inform you about local and state candidates and measures.
Whatcom County Auditor Diana Bradrick said if you want your ballot represented in the first tally released Election Night, you should have it deposited in a dropbox by Saturday, Oct. 31. “If they deposit later than that, their ballot will get counted, but will be in later released results,” Bradrick said.
If you’re waiting to vote, Bradrick recommends delivering your ballot to a dropbox by Monday, Nov. 2, to avoid lines election evening.
As of Tuesday, Vote Washington reported 59.6% of Whatcom voters had voted. The 92,212 ballots have been counted from a potential pool of 154,778 registered voters.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the auditor’s website showed 15,700 ballots returned — about three times the number of ballots returned in the same time before the 2016 election, according to Bradrick.
If you’re unsure about your registration status or if your ballot has been received, you can check on it by visiting the Washington Secretary of State’s website.
You can still register in person at the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office, 311 Grand Ave., until polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Face coverings and social distancing are required at the office, which is open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31.
By Tuesday, 1,091, about 1.2%, of Whatcom ballots had been challenged. If challenged, the voter will be mailed a letter to correct the issue, and contacted by phone after Election Day, according to the auditor’s website. Voters have until Nov. 23 to respond and have their ballot counted.
Bradrick said ballots are primarily challenged because the ballot wasn’t signed or the signature on the ballot didn’t match the one on file. She said challenged ballots usually amount to 1% to 2% of the total vote.
You can watch the election process online at the auditor’s website, as the county has installed five web cameras in the election center, according to a Friday, Oct. 23, news release from Bradrick.
Voter Guide
We sent questionnaires to dozens of statewide candidates, as well as local races in Bellingham and Whatcom County, for the Voter Guide. You can type in your address to pull up your ballot and learn more about the candidates’ backgrounds. For subscribers, we have their views on such topics as the economy, racism and criminal justice, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.
Here’s a roundup of stories about Whatcom County’s hottest races.
Big money drives politics in this Whatcom County legislative district
The four Whatcom County candidates for two House seats, where both incumbents are women facing female challengers, have raised more than $1 million in contributions in the 42nd Legislative District races.
The district encompasses the northern neighborhoods of Bellingham and includes the county‘s small cities and unincorporated areas north and east of the city.
Republican Rep. Luanne Van Werven of Lynden is being challenged by Blaine Councilwoman Alicia Rule, a Democrat, for House Position 1.
Democratic Rep. Sharon Shewmake of Bellingham is being challenged by Jennifer Sefzik of Custer, a Republican in her first run for public office, for House Position 2.
Whatcom County voters will select two Superior Court judges. Here’s what to know
Whatcom County voters will elect two judges to the Whatcom County Superior Court bench this election season.
Superior Court judges handle criminal and civil cases and appeals cases that come from the lower courts. It is the highest county court, before reaching a state appeals court.
James Erb and Evan Jones are running for Position 2, which is opening due to Judge Deborra Garrett’s retirement. Judge David Freeman is running to retain his position as judge in Position 4 against Jim Nelson.
This public utility district election could impact Whatcom water, electricity, internet
Whatcom voters will choose between an 11-year incumbent and a challenger who has raised four times as much money in the campaign for Public Utility District No. 1 in the Nov. 3 election. The choice for commissioner will impact local water supply, energy infrastructure and internet connectivity.
Incumbent Jeff McClure has represented the agency’s 1st District, comprising southeast Whatcom County, since 2009 and currently serves as commission president. Christine Grant, a policy consultant and Western Washington University instructor, is challenging him for the seat.
Bellingham voters can choose to extend this sales tax on election day
Bellingham voters will have the chance to extend a decade-long 0.2% sales tax funding local transportation improvement projects on election day Nov. 3.
The Transportation Fund, previously known as the Transportation Benefit District, has brought in about $5 million in revenue each year since 2010 when 58% of voters first approved the sales tax, according to an July 6 City Council presentation.
The 2010 measure formed a special taxing district that the city absorbed in 2015. Since 2011, the funding has allowed the city to create or improve 52 miles of bikeways, repair or maintain 46 miles of streets and improve 9 miles of sidewalks and 40 crossings, according to a city website about the fund.
How the Superintendent of Public Instruction race is shaping up with 2 weeks to go
Washington voters will choose between incumbent Chris Reykdal and challenger Maia Espinoza this general election for Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Reykdal got 40.2 percent of the votes in the primary. Espinoza got 25.3.
Ferndale voters asked to reconsider school levy — here’s what’s different this time
A school levy defeated in February is back before Ferndale School District voters in the Nov. 3 election, this time at a lower rate and for a shorter period of time.
But voters living in the school district are being asked to reconsider the levy request during an uncertain economy because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the curtailment of Alcoa’s Intalco Works aluminum smelter and the layoff of the smelter’s 700 employees this past summer.
This version of the school programs and operations levy asks voters to approve a lesser rate of $1.50 per thousand of assessed value for two years.
Dropbox locations
▪ Acme Elementary, 5200 Turkington Road.
▪ Blaine Library, 610 3rd St.
▪ Birch Bay (North Whatcom Fire & Rescue), 4581 Birch Bay-Lynden Road.
▪ Custer Elementary, 7660 Custer School Road.
▪ Courthouse South Parking Lot, 201 Grand Ave.
▪ Deming Library, 5044 Mt. Baker Highway.
▪ Everson WECU, 106 E. Main St.
▪ Ferndale City Hall, 2095 Main St.
▪ Lummi Nation Administration Building, 2665 Kwina Road.
▪ Lynden Library, 216 4th St.
▪ Meridian (Laurel Grange), 6172 Guide Meridian.
▪ Kendall (North Fork Community Library), 7506 Kendall Road.
▪ Point Roberts Marketplace (8 a.m.-10 p.m.), 480 Tyee Dr.
▪ Sehome Haggens, 210 36th St., Haggen Sehome Village, NE Corner.
▪ Sudden Valley, Sudden Valley Security Turnaround, Gate One.
▪ Sumas, 534 Railroad Ave.
▪ Whatcom Community College, 231 W. Kellogg Road.
▪ WWU, on campus outside Wade King Student Recreation Center, 1880 Bill McDonald Parkway.
This story was originally published October 17, 2020 at 12:03 PM.
