September 4, 2024
By: Katherine Trowbridge
In a unique case highlighting how your vote counts, the race for Washington State Lands Commissioner took some close calls and a recount to determine who would advance to the General Election.
Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs, shared late afternoon of Sept. 4 that the recount was officially certified. The remainder of the Primary Election results had been previously certified by Secretary Hobbs on August 22 when he directed the states 39 counties to manually recount the 1.9 million ballots regarding the race for Public Lands Commissioner in the first statewide recount in a Primary Election since 1960.
The race is the closest statewide race in the history of Washington's primary, exceeding the 1960 Superintendent of Public Instruction primary where A.T. Van Devanter and Harold L. Anderson were separated by 252 votes.
The race for second place in the Primary Election for Public Lands Commissioner sat with a 51 vote difference with percentages at an even 20.82% between Democrat Dave Upthegrove and Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson.
In the end, Secretary Hobbs stated that the recount indicated a 49 vote-margin separating second-place finisher Upthegrove from Kuehl Pederson who finished third in the contest. After consolidating the amended results Upthegrove gained four votes and Kuehl Pederson six votes.
The manual recount identified variances such as an undervote or overvote that changed the count overall during the manual recount, according to the press release from the Secretary of State's (SOS) office which went on to state, "These discrepancies were a result of careful examination of voter intent on some ballots. The Office of the Secretary of State and counties within Washington use the established Statewide Standards on What is a Vote, a longstanding standard for determining voter intent when voters' ballot markings are unclear."
This recount was a significant undertaking that required meticulous attention to detail to ensure every vote was counted fairly and accurately," Assistant Secretary of State Kevin McMahan said. "It demonstrates the accuracy and reliability of Washington's elections, as the vote county equipment tabulates votes correctly, with the few variances arising from questions about voter intent. I commend all counties for their diligent efforts in conducting a transparent and secure process that reflects the will of the voters."
Dave Upthegrove, a King County Councilmember and Democrat will face former U.S. Representative, Republican Jaimie Herrera Beutler in the November 5 General Election for Public Lands Commissioner.
This race is one that is critical for many reasons, most importantly the concern for wildfires and managing forests in our state and environmental concerns on Global Warming.
The Washington Commissioner of Public Lands is an elected state executive position that oversees the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR is responsible for environmental protection within the state.
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