Shoreline Voters Show Strong Support For Park Bond; However, Measure Fails To Meet Validation Requirements

Press release from the City of Shoreline:

May 7, 2021

Shoreline voters showed strong support for Proposition 1, a park bond levy for park improvements and park land acquisitions. Over 72% of those casting ballots approved the measure. Bond measures require 60% approval to pass. However, State law also requires that for a bond measure to ‘validate,’ at least 40% of the number of votes cast in the previous general election, which was in November 2020, need to be cast in the election in question. The votes must be from uncontested ballots. Ballots can be contested for several reasons, including lack of signature or signatures that don’t match records. As such, total votes cast may need to exceed the minimum 40% number of ballots. For Proposition 1 to have reached validation requirements, there needed to be a minimum of 14,092 votes cast. The certified election results show 13,970 votes cast, 122 votes short of the amount needed for validation.

You can see below the votes required and those received:

Active registered voters in Shoreline

Voters who voted on 11/3/2020, the last general election

40% of valid votes cast needed to validate

Votes cast in April 27 special election

40,105

35,231

14,092

13,970

Passage of Proposition 1 would have authorized improvements to eight parks and the acquisition and improvement of new park land. The City Council will discuss whether to place the bond measure on a future ballot on June 14, 2021.

This press release was produced by the City of Shoreline. The views expressed here are the author’s own.