Klickitat County gears up for Election Day
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
Election officials raced this week as ballots began flooding into the offices in what some are calling the biggest voter turnout in recent history.
The Klickitat County Auditor’s office reported 41 percent of ballots had already come in by Tuesday afternoon.
The figure is significantly larger than average turnout, with still a week to go.
That same day, they had received about 1,000 ballots, some of which still had not been counted into the figure.
Auditor Brenda Sorenson said the turnouts are easily rivaling years past.
“They’ve been coming in in big numbers,” said Sorenson. “It’s a lot. We’re going to have a big percent, a high percent turnout. Every day we go to get the mail it’s anywhere from 400 or more ballots.”
She said at this point they have almost as many as there were total in the primary election, and Election Day is still a week out.
Klickitat County has a total this year of 12,138 registered voters.
Sorenson said they have been working extra hours and will be hiring some part-time workers next week to help out.
There has been a buzz and lots of energy around town from voters, she said, with the phone lines taking calls from voters. Part of it is due to the national stage.
“They’re very interested in voting, probably because it’s a presidential year,” said Sorenson.
She said the office plans to stay late on Tuesday evening; however, that is just the tip of the iceberg. From there, they begin days and perhaps weeks of counting.
The election is not actually certified until Nov. 25.
All ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Democratic tensions escalate in final days of KC election
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
A rift has broken out in recent weeks in Klickitat County within the Democratic Party.
Candidate for state representative, John Gotts, has been mounting accusations against fellow democrat, Lea Rachford, running for county commissioner.
The accusations attempt to link Rachford to environmental groups he says are responsible for extortion and terror.
Although the two are running for different positions and are part of the same party, tensions began escalating at the series of Meet the Candidates nights in White Salmon and Wishram. The unrest came to a head in Goldendale, on Oct. 16, at what spectators called a political “free-for-all.”
According to reports, audience members on both sides attacked one another and candidates spoke out of turn, some raising their voices.
Last week, Gotts launched an advertisement on local radio station, KLCK, endorsing Rachford’s republican opponent, Rex Johnston. In it, he questioned comments Rachford made in White Salmon about environmental lawsuits. He said she responded to questions by stating that, “we” had to appeal.
He said the response implicated her as being part of those lawsuits.
“I saw jaws drop around the room that night in White Salmon,” Gotts says in his advertisement.
He goes on to talk about devastation in the community due to job losses, which occurred in large part due to environmental blocks.
“I know Rex Johnston wants those jobs to be here as quick as possible, I’m just not so sure about his opponent,” Gotts says.
This week, Rachford responded with her own radio spot:
“People deserve honest, ethical behavior from candidates and campaigns that discuss the issues,” says Rachford in the ad. “Divisive attacks tear our community apart when we all need to work together.”
Rachford stressed she has never been part of any lawsuit and noted the issue she was referring to in White Salmon—a Husum/BZ sub area rezone—was an appeal, not a lawsuit.
The concerns about that particular rezone, she said, were validated by the commissioners’ decision to send it back to the planning department.
Julie Larson, Chair of the Klickitat County Democratic Party, said Gotts is “on his own” and the party stands firmly behind Rachford.
“She has our total support,” said Larson. “She is an excellent candidate and will make an excellent commissioner.”
“We have never endorsed John Gotts, nor contributed any money to his campaign,” Larson added. “Indeed, Gotts has turned down volunteer help, sought no contributions, made no signs…At present, his main goal seems to be to support other candidates, in part by using attack strategies against their opponents.
“One has to wonder what Gotts expects to gain from these activities.”
Gotts said he is simply trying to promote the local economy and has been frustrated to see it hindered by environmental movements, especially in a community so “desperate for living-wage jobs.”
He said being environmentally-conscious doesn’t have to mean turning down timber jobs or getting involved in lawsuits.
“I am an environmentalist,” said Gotts. “As an environmentalist, I want sustainable forestry and sustainable lumber. That’s an environmentalist.”
He said without the lawsuits, jobs could flourish. He also pointed to environmental corruption in the past, questioning the current positions of members of the local Democratic Party.
Rachford said they will move beyond the attacks which have, in a way, served to unite the party.
The general election will be held Tuesday, November 4.
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