That would be the highest since 1944, according to Secretary of State Sam Reed and his staff.

Turnout that year was 84.5 percent.

“Voters are clearly captivated by the rematch for governor between Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi, and we are seeing record-level spending for this crucial campaign, which looks like a dead heat in some of the polls," Reed said.

Reed predicts 83 percent voter turnout; ballots heading out soon

OLYMPIA – Secretary of State Sam Reed is predicting a strong 83 percent voter turnout for the General Election, the best showing in more than 60 years. His forecast comes just days before mail ballots are sent to most of Washington’s 3.5 million registered voters.

The better-than-average turnout is based on a high degree of interest in the top races and assorted state and local ballot measures, the recent surge in registrations, increasingly heavy use of convenient vote-by-mail, and strong forecasts from the County Auditors, Reed said Monday. Six counties say their vote should be 90 percent or higher.

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The Pierce County Council may aid some South Hill mobile home park residents who stand to be evicted to make way for a Home Depot.

By a vote of 3-0, the council’s Rules Committee this morning approved a resolution asking County Executive John Ladenburg to look for county land where the residents can store their mobile homes on a temporary basis. The idea is to give the residents some time to find permanent locations for their homes.

However, supporters of the residents say the move won’t prevent them from losing their current home, the Country Aire Manor mobile home park on Meridian Avenue.

“It doesn’t really do anything for the people who are being evicted,” Don Charnley of Renton said Monday.

About 70 Country Aire residents learned the park had been sold when they received eviction notices earlier this year. The notices gave them a year to move.

Since then, park residents have been pleading with the County Council to save their homes.

Council members say there’s not much they can do for the Country Aire residents. But Councilman Roger Bush, R-Graham, proposed the resolution to find county land where park residents can store their homes temporarily.

The resolution asks the county executive to recommend by Nov. 17 parcels that might be suitable for storage. However, that date likely will be pushed back when the measure goes to the full council. It was not immediately clear when the resolution would go to the full council.

None of the Country Aire residents attended Monday’s meeting. But Charnley said the county should consider buying and preserving the property. He lives in a mobile home park that King County bought after it was threatened with closure and redevelopment.

Meanwhile, two council members – Calvin Goings, D-Puyallup, and Tim Farrell, D-Tacoma – may propose a moratorium on converting mobile home parks to other uses.

Goings said Monday the proposed six-month moratorium would provide some protection to other Pierce County mobile home park residents while the county considers zoning regulations that could protect mobile homes in the long run. The new zoning regulations would come in the form of a comprehensive land-use plan amendment Goings said would be considered next year.

Washington state tax collections for the month from Sept. 11 through Oct. 10, 2008 were $48.3 million lower than expected, according to the state Department of Revenue.

There actually was a slight spike in collection last month, but it turns out that was an aberration. That means in the past four months, three were down, one was up. Overall, we're down.

The worst sector: Auto dealers. Tax collections have dropped for 9 consecutive months.

That's not good for a budget deficit that already is projected to reach $3.2 billion for 2009-11.

Here is a link to the state Department of Revenue report.

Bruce Lachney, a Democrat seeking to unseat Republican incumbent Roger Bush on the Pierce County Council, has taken his campaign to television.

Lachney is running this spot on Comcast and Rainier Connect cable in certain zip codes in East Pierce County. It’s part of a recent proliferation of cable ads for Pierce County races. I’ve counted at least two Shawn Bunney county executive ads, plus the independent ad for exec candidate Pat McCarthy sponsored by Better Pierce County.

Anyone else spotted TV ads for Pierce County races? Let me know.