Milene Henley – Contributed photo
This is the The twelfth in a series of articles about elections in Washington State by San Juan County Auditor F. Milene Henley. The County Auditor administers elections and voter registration in the County.
The votes are counted, and the results certified. It is my hope that those of you who have read along with me this year understand the election process a little better than you did a year ago, and that you trust that the election process is secure.
To complete the year, here’s a random selection of moments which warm the hearts of Elections workers, and keep us coming back for more.
Hold the ferry! One November Election Day not long ago, an enthusiastic young voter called to say that he and two friends were coming over from Orcas to vote. They were registered in another state, but had heard that they could vote provisional ballots that would be forwarded to their state. Elections staff prepared ballots for them and had everything ready so they could run up from the ferry, vote, and run back to the terminal in time to catch the same ferry back to Orcas (because otherwise they would spend the night in Friday Harbor). With time running short, another voter ran down to the dock to ask the ferry workers to hold the ferry just a couple more minutes. The captain waited, the young voters ran back to the ferry, and three more ballots were counted that year.
Keeping watch. The ballot boxes on Lopez and Orcas are emptied at least once during each voting period, in addition to the final emptying on Election Day. This November, we emptied both boxes twice during the voting period. Nonetheless, on Election Day, an alert County employee on Orcas called the Elections Office to tell us that the box was so full, it looked as if one could reach inside and grab ballots. While we hurried to recruit a volunteer pilot to fly us over to Orcas, the County employee on Orcas stood guard over the ballot box to make sure nobody messed with it. We flew in (literally), emptied the box, chatted with some Orcas voters, and left behind an empty box ready for more Orcas ballots. Continue Reading
With the three recent pertussis, or whooping cough, cases in San Juan County, and with the holiday travel season upon us, now is a good time to review you and your family’s immunization status and make sure your immunizations are up to date.
Pam & I first ventured to San Juan Island in mid-1990 when we were married at a bed & breakfast in Friday Harbor. We were both working for a major Home Center chain while living in Seattle and would often spend long weekends in Friday Harbor to escape the commotion of the big city and corporate America.
