May 17, 2006

ELECTION 2006

Full results will appear in the May 20 Hood River News

Write-in votes topped 60 percent of the vote in the Hood River County Board of Tuesday’s Commissioner Chairman race, leaving resolution of the contest up in the air for at least two days.

Out of 4,713 ballots cast in the race, Maui Meyer received 1,424 (30.2 percent) to Paul Nevin’s 417 (8.8 percent.)

However, write-in votes totaled 2,872, or 61 percent.

How many of those write-ins went to Ron Rivers is still unknown. Rivers mounted an energetic write-in campaign in April and May.

The chairman race winner will be whoever receives at least 50 percent of the votes. If no one receives 50 percent, there will be a two-person run-off in the November General Election.

Elections workers processed the write-ins but did not tabulate them on Tuesday. Election workers began counting the write-in ballots Wednesday, said Sandra Berry, county elections coordinator. The process should take two days, she said.

Here is how Hood River County residents voted in other contests in Tuesday’s Primary Election:

U.S. Rep., District 2, Democratic:

Carol Voisin — 718

Dan Davis — 325

Scott Silver — 226

Charles H. Butcher III — 142

U.S. Rep., District 2, Republican:

Greg Walden — 1,786

Paul A. Daghlian — 124

Governor, Democratic:

Ted Kulongoski — 1,255

Jim Hill — 505

Pete Sorenson — 247

Governor, Republican:

Ron Saxton — 720

Kevin Mannix — 602

Jason A. Atkinson — 314

W. Ames Curtright — 54

Gordon Leitch — 24

David W. Beem — 15

William E. Spidal — 14

Bob Leonard Forthan — 8

Note: All results are Final Unofficial, and do not reflect write-ins nor “question” ballots — those with signatures that cannot be verified.

Voters who receive a letter from the county stating they must sign a new ballot signature card have until May 26 to do so.