Litzow, Maxwell Maintain Leads Headed into November as Aug. 7 Primary Results Certified

Expect the campaigning to ramp up for November elections now.

Final results from Washington’s Aug. 7 primary were posted and certified Tuesday in King County/Pierce County/Snohomish County. The Secretary of State has until Friday to certify results statewide.

King County Elections certified the results of the 2012 primary election. Voters returned 443,523 ballots for a turnout of 40 percent. Final results will be posted on the department’s website this evening.

“We just certified our twelfth consecutive election without discrepancies,” said Sherril Huff, Director of Elections. “I’m also pleased to report that voters helped keep election costs down this election by remembering to sign the return envelope and responding promptly to our calls. We have seen improvement in several key areas where voters can make a big difference in the cost of running elections and making sure more ballots can be opened and counted.”

Among local races in the 41st Legislative District, State Sen. Steve Litzow maintained a 12.5 percent advantage over Democrat Maureen Judge and Rep. Marcie Maxwell recorded a larger 16 percent-lead over Republican challenger Tim Eaves. Rep. Judy Clibborn, a former Mercer Island mayor, ran unopposed in the primary.

Elections officials report a reduction in the number of challenged signatures of almost 45 percent this election. Extensive outreach efforts that featured local celebrities are credited with contributing to a reduction by half of the number of ballots returned without signatures.

In compliance with state requirements, King County tallied 11 races with write-in votes, a relatively high number of races to require this extra step.  

The Elections Department is already preparing for the November general election and citizens should, too. Register to vote or update your voter registration information (name, address and signature) at the Elections web site. Citizens eligible to vote should register by Oct. 8 to vote in the general election. New voters have until Oct. 29 to register in person.

The Secretary of State’s Office has results for:

• Statewide executive races, such as governor and attorney general.

• Federal races, including Congressional district maps.

•Legislative results.

You can find King County results here.

August primary election – By the numbers

Ballots issued....................................... 1,121,772

Registered voters.................................. 1,110,063

Ballots returned....................................... 443,523

Ballots counted....................................... 432,049

Discrepancies...................................................... 0

Voters using AVUs........................................... 274

Ballots returned by email................................. 568

Ballots returned by fax....................................... 96

Ballots returned at drop boxes................... 64,780

Challenged ballots cured............................. 4,990

Ballots with remaining challenges............... 2,453

Returned too late......................................... 8,622

Returned as undeliverable............................ 8,417