BREMERTON — Ballots for the 2016 general election were sent to Kitsap County’s 156,000 registered voters last week.
Ballots to military and overseas voters were mailed in late September, 45 days before the Nov. 8 general election. Local residents should receive their ballots by this week. The Local Voters Pamphlet also has been mailed out to every residential address and post office box in Kitsap County.
“Presidential elections are always exciting, with a high percentage of voters casting a ballot,” said Dolores Gilmour, Kitsap County auditor. “I hope voters will use the state and local voter pamphlets as additional resources when deciding who they wish to fill these important offices.”
This general election has a dynamic unique in American presidential history: The two presidential nominees from the two major parties, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are highly controversial and have the unfortunate distinction of having the highest disapproval ratings in the history of presidential candidate polling. As a result, a significant number of voters are insisting they will not vote at all.
But there are many local and state down-ballot races that, in many ways, can have a more direct effect on local residents’ lives than the high-profile national races.
For voters mailing in their ballots, they must be postmarked by Nov. 8. The county has nine ballot drop boxes that will accept ballots until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Three are located in the Bremerton/Central Kitsap area; the other three in Port Orchard.
BREMERTON/CENTRAL KITSAP
Kitsap Regional Library
1301 Sylvan Way
Bremerton
Norm Dicks Government Center
345 Sixth St.
Bremerton
Central Kitsap School District
Administration Building
9210 Silverdale Way NW
Silverdale
PORT ORCHARD
South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 8
1974 Fircrest Drive SE
Port Orchard
South Kitsap Fire and Rescue Station 17
7990 McCormick Woods Drive SW
Port Orchard
Kitsap County Auditor Administration Building
619 Division St.
Port Orchard
YOUR VOTE COUNTS
Kitsap County has seen its share of close elections.
Below are examples of local races that were so close, they triggered an automatic recount:
2011 Port Orchard Mayor
Tim Matthes 1,442
Lary Coppola 1,437
2009 Port Orchard City Council
Carolyn Powers 1,210
Cindy Lucarelli 1,198
2002 26th Legislative District, GOP primary
Ed Mitchell 5,870
Kevin Entze 5,869
1997 Port of Poulsbo Commissioner District 2
Ken Burns 835
Richard Mills 834
1996 Kitsap County Commissioner District 2, Democratic Primary
Charlotte Garrido 2,204
Beth Wilson 2,195
