It will be interesting to see who this benefits and whether it is part of a nationwide trend.
Turnout starts strong
Quote:
Turnout starts strong
The first Monday after ballots are mailed out is often a sign of voter interest and intensity. Here are numbers of ballots received on that day in Spokane County for federal elections over the last 10 years:
2008 presidential election: 9,093
2010 midterm election: 6,155
2012 presidential election: 7,080
2014 midterm election: 2,948
2016 presidential election: 6,958
2018 midterm election: 13,005
Source: Spokane County Elections Office
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That was just part a busy first Monday after the county mailed out more than 300,000 ballots last Wednesday and Thursday. The mail delivery after the first weekend brings returns from early voters who have marked and posted their ballots of the state’s all-mail system and can be an indicator of voter interest.
Monday’s mail delivery brought some 7,500 ballots – far more than the first Mondays in last two midterm elections or the the 2012 and 2016 presidential election.
“What we’re seeing is a level of intensity that we haven’t seen … possibly since 2008,” she said. That was the presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain.
When the ballots from drop boxes were added in late in the afternoon, Monday’s total stood at 13,005, which was even higher than the 9,093 for election year 2008. Even though the county has almost 60,000 more voters than 10 years ago, the percentage of ballots turned in so far this year is slightly higher.
“I think it’s everything that’s on the ballot,” Dalton said, including a competitive congressional race, controversial ballot issues and news coverage of national politics. “People are just engaged at a level we have not seen in a while.”
24 Oct 2018, 3:21 pm
