By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – It looks like challenger Carla Shannon and appointed Lewis County Clerk Scott Tinney will advance to the November election, based on numbers released for the primary.
Out of 9,302 ballots cast and counted in yesterday’s primary election, a third candidate, Linda Williams, took in just a tad more than 26 percent.
The numbers between Shannon and Tinney are close.
The Board of (Lewis) County Commissioners selected Tinney in November to finish out the term of retired Lewis County Clerk Kathy Brack, who left in the middle of a four-year term.
Tinney came from the Thurston County Clerk’s Office but resides in Lewis County.
Shannon was actually the first choice of three names forwarded to county commissioners by the local Republican party after Brack’s retirement.
Shannon is a deputy clerk in the Lewis County Clerk’s Office, where she has worked about five years.
All three identify as Republicans.
Shannon so far has secured 36.07 percent, or 3,114 votes and Tinney has 37.85 percent, or 3,268 votes, according to the Lewis County Auditor’s Office elections division.
As of 8 p.m. yesterday, the elections division had tallied 8,268 votes and then today processed and counted another 1,034 in the all vote-by-mail primary.
More ballots may come in, but they must be postmarked by no later than yesterday to be valid, Elections Supervisor Heather Boyer said today.
The office won’t count those until Aug. 14 and they will certify the election on Aug. 15.
Regardless of who wins in November, the elected position will be on the ballot again in November 2018, for a regular four-year term.
Lewis County Fire District 5 had an Emergency Medical Services levy on the ballot and while a majority of voters cast ballots in favor of it, it’s not clear it will clear the hurdles to pass.
As of today, 58.96 percent, or 895, people voted yes but the measure needs to pass by a super majority of 60 percent.
Boyer said the EMS levy also requires validation, meaning the total number of votes has to reach at least 40 percent of the number who voted in the last general election. That number is 1,585, Boyer said.
As of today, only 1,518 individuals cast ballots on the levy.
The Napavine-based fire district failed to get at least 60 percent support for an emergency medical services levy in November.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter