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Jack Miller leads Charles Amerein for Commissioner; Helm ahead of Jenkins for Sheriff; Metropolitan Park District rejected
A group of election observers gathered at the Columbia County Courthouse to watch the final ballot-gathering activities by Deputy Auditor Cathy Abel, left, on General Election night. Observing the processes were, from left, Dwight Richter, Pat Seibert, Jessie L. Siebert, Mary Ann Ward, and Jay Ball.
Deputy Auditor Cathy Abel makes the final collection of ballots from the Courthouse Ballot Box at 8 p.m.on General Election night.
DAYTON–Incumbent County Commissioner Charles Amerein is trailing challenger Jack Miller by 69 votes, according to election-night returns for the November 8 General Election, and the Joint Metropolitan Park District was soundly voted down by an almost two to one margin. Both Amerein and Miller favor the Republican Party.
Sheriff Joe Helm, who favors the Republican party, looks to retain his office, garnering 1,158 votes to challenger Jeff Jenkins, also a Republican, with 700 votes, according to preliminary returns.
As of the polling deadline of 8 p.m., an estimated 217 votes remained to be counted. Voter turnout in Columbia County was 68%, with 1,942 of the county's 2,856 voters casting ballots. According to the Washington Secretary of State's figures, Columbia County achieved the highest percentage of voters turning out with neighboring Garfield County coming in at 64.43% and Wahkiakum County in southwest Washington state in third at 61.43%.
Voters soundly defeated formation of the Joint Metropolitan Park District, with 62.80% opposed via 1,126 votes to the 667 votes for the proposition, or 37.20%.
Former Auditor Anne Higgins received 1,232 votes with 320 votes going to write-in candidates. Higgins's resignation, due to health reasons, was effective August 21, 2022, after she had filed for office, stating no party preference. Then-Deputy Auditor Jann Manwell ran a write-in campaign (she was recently appointed to fill Higgins's vacancy) but she did not receive enough votes to trigger a count of the write-in votes, according to Deputy Auditor Cathy Abel. There were also 390 undervotes, ballots on which no vote was cast.
Interim Assessor Tammy Groom Ketterman was elected to the seat with 1,597 votes, and County Clerk Kriston (Krissy) Chapman will continue to serve with 1,598 votes. C. Dale Slack was re-elected County Prosecutor with 1,413 votes, and Treasurer Carla J. Rowe will serve another four years with 1,595 votes.
Unopposed District Court Judge Kimberly (Kim) Boggs will continue with 1,454 votes.
Results for commissioners for the Joint Metropolitan Park District, who would have served had the proposition been approved by voters, are as follows:
No. 1
Dianne McKinley 957
Morgan Poche 427
Charles Levy 145
No. 2
Lisa Naylor 810
Melissa Bryan 716
No. 3
Ted Lowe 621
Paige Aukerman 571
David Schreck 381
No. 4
Robert Yost 749
Marjorie Lowe 499
Paula Murdock 202
Chris Slack 107
No. 5
Tony Aukerman 779
Carol Anderson 745
Ninth District representatives Mary Dye (R-Pomeroy) and Joe Schmick (R-Colfax) were returned to office. Dye received 1,498 votes and Schmick 1,374 votes in Columbia County. Dye received 30,018 votes across the district and Schmick received 29, 215 votes.
Secretary of State votes went to Julie Anderson, an Independent, with 1,208 to Steve Hobbs's 450. Hobbs, a Democrat, was the winner with 834,206 and 49.97% to Anderson's 783,268 and 46.92% in statewide results.
Advisory Vote 39 was repealed in Columbia County 1,434 to 355 and No. 40 also got thumb's down 1,322 to 474. Statewide, voters also rejected No. 39 by a 60% to 40% margin and No. 40 also was rejected 53% to 47%.
Fifth Congressional District incumbent Republican Cathy McMorris Rodgers was the favorite in Columbia County, receiving 1,455 votes to Democratic challenger Natasha Hill's 451 votes. District totals show McMorris Rodgers winning re-election with 113,299 votes and 59.11% to Hill's 77,977 or 40.69%.
Columbia County voters resoundingly favored Republican Tiffany Smiley over Senator Patty Murray, casting 1,389 votes and 72.65% to Murray's 523 and 27.35%. Statewide, Murray was re-elected with 908,199 or 56.92% of the ballots cast to Smiley's 738,618 or 42.89%.
Supreme Court Justices Mary Yu, Barbara Madsen and G. Helen Whitener all were unopposed. Court of Appeals Division 3 Judge George Fearing was also unopposed and re-elected.
Columbia County voters in the Prescott Joint Park & Recreation District voted no on Prop. No. 1 4 votes to 3 yes. The proposition passed with 65.49%, 74 votes, approving to the 39 votes and 34.51%.
