It's not over, but Mike Lonergan conceded late Tuesday he'd have "a big hill to climb" to avoid being the first county executive candidate eliminated from the race under ranked choice voting.

In early returns, Lonergan came in fourth with about 19 percent of first-place votes.

"I do feel good," Lonergan said. "I feel I offered my services to the county. I guess we proved that it is very hard for a person without major party backing to get the necessary traction to win."

Lonergan sought – but did not receive – permission to be listed as a Republican on the ballot. Instead, he ran under his own Executive Excellence banner.

Democrat Darcy Burner was winning the congressional seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert Tuesday night, reversing the luck she had against the incumbent on election night in 2006.

Thousands of ballots still were left to be counted in Washington’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Seattle’s East Side suburbs and much of East Pierce County.

Burner led Reichert Tuesday night in one of two dozen House races that remain undecided. This election is the second time Burner has challenged Reichert; she came within 3 points of defeating him two years ago.

Burner’s campaign spokeswoman, Jaime Smith, said Tuesday night that members of Burner’s camp are pleased but cautious.

Smith credited high turnout from the presidential election for boosting Burner’s numbers in early returns.

“The enthusiasm level this time around is definitely making a difference,” Smith said.

Reichert’s campaign spokeswoman, Amanda Halligan, said Reichert is hardly conceding the race to Burner at this point.

“We’re very confident, feeling very positive, and we’re sure we’ll continue to see the numbers trend in our direction,” Halligan said.

=> Read more!

In latest returns for Washington's 8th District, Darcy Burner is still leading Rep. Dave Reichert. But only about 74,000 votes have been counted.

Darcy Burner (D): 52%
Dave Reichert (R): 48%

Republican Shawn Bunney was leading in early returns in the Pierce County executive’s race. But with the county for the first time using a new voting system, the eventual winner is anybody’s guess.

Early executive returns showed Bunney with a lead over Democrats Pat McCarthy and Calvin Goings. Independent Mike Lonergan trailed the other candidates.

The returns showed no executive candidate appeared to have a majority of first-place votes under Pierce County’s new ranked choice voting system. If that holds, second- and third-place votes will determine the winner of the race.

Bunney said the results showed he was “halfway to success.”

“We’re very optimistic that as the night goes on our margin is going to grow,” Bunney said shortly after the first batch of results were released.

They showed Bunney with 32 percent of first-place votes, McCarthy with 29 percent, Goings with 24 percent and Lonergan with 15 percent.

Bunney has served on the County Council for six years. His campaign stressed job creation, government accountability and cutting county regulations. He also emphasized the need to complete two major road projects: Highway 167 from Puyallup to the Port of Tacoma and the Cross Base Highway between Highway 7 and Interstate 5.

McCarthy stressed her years of administrative experience as county auditor and deputy auditor and her time on the Tacoma School Board. In her campaign she spoke of and improving customer service and shaping a collective vision for the county.

Goings has spent eight years on the County Council and previously served in the state Senate and as a local fire commissioner. He offered detailed plans on a range of issues and pledged if elected to convene a transportation summit of environmental, labor and business leaders to devise a funding plan.

Lonergan, a Tacoma City Council member, made his administrative experience the centerpiece of his campaign. He spent 21 years leading nonprofit organizations and previously worked in broadcasting. He also cited his experience on the boards of numerous local and regional government agencies.

News Tribune reporter Adam Lynn has the early shift and will post updates from the overnight vote counting in Pierce County and update the statewide results as well.

He'll post updates on the expected 3 a.m. release of numbers and the 6 a.m. release of numbers from Pierce County.

Staff writer Steve Maynard reports:

Voters everywhere but Pierce County were saying “no” to Tim Eyman-sponsored Initiative 985, which would divert state funds in an effort to reduce traffic congestion.

But Proposition 1, a $17.9 billion measure for mass transit expansion, was winning in early returns. It was leading handily in King and Snohomish counties but narrowly in Pierce County in the first batch of returns Tuesday night.

The Sound Transit request would raise the sales tax by 0.5 percent to expand light rail north to Lynnwood, south to Federal Way and east to Redmond.

“If it passes, it’s great because we’ll be able to continue the long range plan,” said Claudia Thomas, a vice chairwoman for Sound Transit’s board of directors. She’s also a Lakewood city councilwoman and former mayor.

Proposition 1 would pay for a 17 percent increase in regional bus service, add Sounder commuter trains and expand parking lots and stations for commuter trains between Lakewood through the Puyallup and Green River valleys to Seattle.

The measure would bring light rail only as far south as South 272nd Street in Federal Way by the year 2023. But it would buy up half of the right of way for light rail to Tacoma and do some preliminary engineering on that segment.

It also would add bus service and more Sounder commuter rail trains in Pierce County.
I-985, Eyman’s measure, would open up car-pool lanes during nonpeak hours. It would create the Reduce Traffic Congestion Account, diverting a portion of the vehicle sales tax that currently goes to the state’s general fund.

Eyman said opening up car-pool lanes would increase traffic capacity and reduce congestion, which opponents contested.

He said many voters were persuaded by local governments to vote “no” because of their promises to increase transporation programs.

“Win, lose or draw, we think it is a tremendous victory,” Eyman said Tuesday night.

“It’s going to be impossible for state and local government to go back to business as usual,” he added.

Pierce County was the only county in the state where I-985 was ahead.

I-985 also would require cities to synchronize traffic lights on major arterials. And it would mandate that all revenues from red-light cameras go to the new state fund for reducing traffic congestion.

Several South Sound cities have said they will shut down red-light cameras if I-985 passes. Leaders in Tacoma, Lakewood, Fife, Puyallup and Auburn said they won’t have the money to pay for their red-light programs.

Here are AP's numbers and projections on the three statewide ballot measures. An x indicates that AP thinks that will be the prevailing side.

BC-WA-PropAll-Glance-Sum,0095

(AP) 11-04-08 22:58,,

Initiative 985-Transportation HOV Lanes

2,843 of 6,719 precincts - 42 percent

Yes, 529,810 - 41 percent
x-No, 766,027 - 59 percent

Initiative 1000-Medical Choice Lethal Drugs

2,896 of 6,719 precincts - 43 percent

x-Yes, 768,635 - 58 percent
No, 553,325 - 42 percent

Initiative 1029-Care Workers Certification

2,858 of 6,719 precincts - 43 percent

x-Yes, 967,531 - 74 percent
No, 335,346 - 26 percent

Pierce County released their first results at 10:12 p.m. – long after the original, tentative deadline. During the wait, candidates for office, reporters and concerned citizens hovered around laptops and followed the results of the national election.

After handing out the first round of results, Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy blamed the large data files associated with ranked-choice voting for the delay.

“The amount of data was enormous,” she said. “It came over perfectly, but it just took time.”

She said the office doubled the space, but elections officials were working well into the evening installing more on the office’s servers.

McCarthy said an image of each RCV ballot must be captured – she called them “huge, huge files” – whereas traditional ballots do not require capturing a full image.

Richard Anderson-Connolly, a professor of sociology at the University of Puget Sound and an advocate for ranked-choice voting, began questioning McCarthy’s answers and filmed her responses. McCarthy then refused to answer any other questions and briskly walked to the ballot-counting area of the building, where non-authorized people weren’t allowed to go.

from Sarah Kehoe in Bellevue:

Dino Rossi released a statement encouraging his supporters to not give up or listen to the press that is showcasing a Gregoire victory.

Lorraine Blacklock of Maple Valley said Rossi is right.

"Some of the biggest counties are not even finished yet.," she said. "He was my senator. I know what he can do because he has proven himself before. He doesn't compromise on his principles."

The measure to repeal term limits for Tacoma City Council members was narrowly failing, according to early Pierce County counts, with a split of 48 percent yes votes and 52 percent no votes.

It would repeal the limit a City Council member could serve, which is currently two four-year terms or a total of 10 years if the member was appointed to fill out another member’s term.

Voters set the limit in 1973.

After speaking to supporters at the Westin in Seattle, Gov. Chris Gregoire poses with husband Mike, her daughters and new son in law.

And U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell holds up a sign and cheers during Gregoire's speech.

Staff writer Brent Champaco reports:

A proposal to ban minicasinos in Lakewood was failing Tuesday night. Initial counts from the Pierce County Auditor’s Office showed Proposition 1, the city’s first citizen-led initiative, going down by a wide margin: 39 percent yes and 61 percent no.

The measure would close the city’s four minicasinos and keep others from opening.

Greg Bakamis, regional operations manager with Great American Casino, said opponents of the ban did a good job showing the importance of these businesses.

“I think this was an educational campaign,” Bakamis said.

Longtime Lakewood resident David Anderson, president of Save Lakewood, the group spearheading the ban, said he’s still hoping for a swing in the numbers.

“It’s disappointing,” Anderson said. “We’d hoped for a better showing than that ... But there’s certainly potential for things to turn around.”

He and other initiative supporters say minicasinos invite blight and create addictions that destroy families.

But opponents argue the ban would strip Lakewood of some $2.85 million in annual gambling tax revenue. Proposition 1 forced the city to prepare two budgets for next year – one with gambling tax revenue and one without. The budget without casino revenue calls for cutting 25 full-time city jobs, including 11 in the police department.

The measure would also leave some 600 casino workers unemployed. And opponents argued that problem gamblers would only have to travel to nearby Indian casinos to feed their habit.

For the past six months, the two campaigns have been locked in a heated battle of words, with accusations of unfair play, conflicts of interests and intimidation lobbed by both sides.

Emily Hoppler Treichler and Elizabeth Anderson:

Spirits are still running high here after Gregoire's optimistic but
careful speech. However, many Democrats are still worried abut the outcome of the governor's race.

Willie Anderson, who is a member of Service Employees International
union, said she found Dino Rossi "scary" and "out of touch with people..

John Clemens, a federal agency worker, noted that the race doesn't appear to be "nearly as close" as last time. "It's a definite signal from people in Washington. [Gregoire] will get us through hard times."

"I am pleased to see that there is an increasing margin this time,"
Clemens said.

"You can see I'm happy!" Anderson added.

Henrietta Price, 77, owner of Henrietta's Hats in Seattle, said she was in civil rights movement when she was young and is "so happy to live to this day!"

She said she's been tearful all day.

(from Chelsea Gorrow and Ted Charles at the Westin)

from Sarah Kehoe and Emily Nelson in Bellevue.

"Raise your hands for freedom," shouted U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert . The gloom in the room lifted as people cheered and raised their hands.

"Don't give up hope," he said. "We've had a great campaign, great support and we are going to win the race,"

After Rossi and Reichert spoke, the room at the Hyatt Regency began to empty out.

One GOP supporter wasn't very optimistic.

"Not real happy about it. It means socialism, in a word," said Jerry Noy of Barack Obama's victory. "I think the mainstream media didn't do their job to interview the guy."

And he did not have confidence in state vote-counting.

"To be honest with you, I don't have a lot of faith in the state election system after four years ago." Noy said.

Early returns show Paul Pastor with 72 percent of the vote for Pierce County sheriff. Jesse Hill has 20 percent and R.P. Kollu has 7 percent.

Returns for other Pierce County Council races:

District 3:
Lachney (D): 51 percent
Bush (R): 49 percent

District 4:
Farrell (D): 68 percent
Paulson (I): 32 percent

District 6:
Muri (R): 58 percent
Stewart (D): 42 percent

McDonald (R): 45 percent
Rose (D): 33 percent
Merrival (D): 21 percent

From Chelsea Gorrow and Ted Charles in Seattle...

"Seattle has done it again," said U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell. "Lets give Chris Gregoire an election night victory, so she can celebrate will all of us!"

Added U.S. Sen. Patty Murray: "Yes we can and Yes We Did!!"

"I predict that everyone will remember where they were tonight, the night we made history, the night we elected Barack Obama!

"My partner in the white house will help me make sure the men and women who come home from serving overseas will be treated with dignity.

"This is America and we've shown them what can be done."

Washam: 24 percent
Gelman: 21 percent
Lee: 19 percent
Shabro: 19 percent
Davidson: 10.5 percent
Tuma: 7 percent

Results from the Pierce County Auditor's Office show Rep. Dave Reichert leading Democratic challenger Darcy Burner among Pierce County voters.

With about 25,000 Pierce County votes counted, Reichert is leading Burner 53 percent to 47 percent in the county.

Updated returns from the Secretary of State's office show Burner leading Reichert 53 percent to 47 percent district-wide.

The first round of results in the Pierce County executive's race:

Shawn Bunney (R): 32 percent
Pat McCarthy (D): 29 percent
Calvin Goings (D):24 percent
Mike Lonergan (I): 15 percent

Rep. Dave Reichert just expressed his frustration with delays in Pierce County election results in an interview with King 5.

Reichert wondered "why in the world it takes so long to count ballots in this age of technology."

We may see more statements like this. As of now, Pierce is the only county in the state not reporting any results.

Now CBS has joined NBC and CNN in projecting Chris Gregoire as the winner of the 2008 race for governor. How can they do that with such early numbers (and none from Pierce County)?

The networks have access to the results of the national exit poll and are likely basing their projections on that. Because so much of the state's vote is by mail, the national poll (one poll paid for and shared by the AP and the networkd) was a telephone poll of those who had already voted.

We are more cautious, given the closeness of pre-election polls and the 2004 vote.

From Emily Hoppler Treichler and Elizabeth Anderson with Pierce County Democrats:

One of Pierce County's Democratic candidates for Executive, Calvin Goings, said he is thrilled about the future.

"My wife and I have a four year old. The only president he will know is an African-American, and it won't be strange to him," said Goings.

Chairwoman Jeannie Mitchell of the 27th District describes the night as a "full range of emotions".

"We've had eight years of broken hearts, waiting for the candidate with the potential this young man has," said Mitchell.

Mitchell, originally a Hillary Clinton supporter, now raves about Obama.

"I am wholeheartedly behind him. I am absolutely thrilled," said Mitchell.

This from Kari Plog and Alex Burch at Great American Casino:

The sole Republican on the ballot for Pierce County Executive, Shawn Bunney was waiting, along with everyone else, for some numbers from the county voting.

Joanne Lisosky shot this photo of Julie Stenger and child Mason. They listened to "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow" and waited for U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, due in 15 minutes.

Incumbent Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Republican, has a very comfortable lead over Democrat John Ladenburg, who is Pierce County's executive.

Randy Dorn, the former Eatonville principal and school worker union chief, has a 15,000-vote lead over incumbent Schools Superintendent Terry Burgeson with 922,000 ballots counted so far.

State Rep. Jim McIntire, a Seattle Democrat, has a slight lead over deputy state treasurer Allan Martin. Both are seeking the top job.

Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland, Auditor Brian Sonntag, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen and Secretary of State Sam Reed appear headed for reelection.

This is with roughly 33 percent of the vote in.

King County has been reporting its result for a while, and now they're showing up on the Secretary of State's Web site.

The county, which is favoring Gregoire by nearly 69 percent to 31 percent, put Gregoire back over 50 percent and slightly ahead of Rossi statewide 542,277 to 524,565.

For now ...

From the state GOP party in Bellevue from Sarah Kehoe and Emily Nelson:

"In Washington state, we don't have an election day. We have an election week," said GOP candidate for governor Dino Rossi. "This election is about the future. Our education isn't what it needs to be. We must do better."

Rossi listed off transportation issues and the economy and the crowd chanted with him, "We must do better."

"We are treading water at a time when we should be moving forward. And we will move forward," Rossi said. "I plan on being governor of the whole state of Washington"

The crowd stood so close, chanting his name, that it was sometimes hard to hear him. One man reached his cell phone and snapped the candidate's picture.

"We love you," shouted one woman.

While the mood is hopeful for Rossi, attitudes sank when Obama was proclaimed president-elect.

"Welcome to the USSA," said Erin Pierce.

Joel Pardini expressed disgust, saying: "So much of this election has been one-sided and dishonest. I never thought America would elect someone this socialist."

Scott Fontaine, our reporter at the Pierce County election center, says the auditor's office now expects a first batch of election results at 10 p.m. More as this develops.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi called on his supporters for help Tueday to make sure there's no "repeat of the nonsense that took place in 2004."

The election is far from decided, but Rossi sounded at times as though he was making a victory speech.

He touched on many of the themes from his stump speech: Education, transportation, the state budget. He said he wanted to "bring back government that spends efficiently on critical needs without burdening business with higher taxes."

He said he wanted to "make government our servant again and not our master."

He said he would bring a fresh set of eyes to Olympia.

Only near the end of the speech did he give some indication that the race is not over.

"We can be proud of this," Rossi said. "Win, lose or draw we have shaken Olympia to its core."

And then Rossi called on supporters to help monitor the election process.

It was a request echoed by the King County Republican Party which sent out the following e-mail a short time ago with the subject line: Don't Let the D's Steal this Again...

=> Read more!

A Pierce County elections official said the first batch of results at 10 p.m.

We'll have 'em as soon as they post 'em.

Staff writer Steve Maynard reports:

Initiative 985 that aims to reduce traffic congestion by opening up car-pool lanes during nonpeak hours was trailing in early returns.

But Proposition 1, a $17.9 billion measure for mass transit expansion, was ahead. The Sound Transit request for Pierce, King and Snohomish counties would raise the sales tax by 0.5 percent to expand light rail north to Lynnwood, south to Federal Way and east to Redmond. It was winning in Snohomish and King counties; Pierce County results were not yet available.

Tim Eyman’s I-985 would create the Reduce Traffic Congestion Account, diverting a portion of the vehicle sales tax that goes to the state’s general fund. Eyman said opening up car-pool lanes would increase traffic capacity and reduce congestion, which opponents have contested.

I-985 also would require cities to synchronize traffic lights on major arterials. And it would mandate that all revenues from red-light cameras go to the new state fund for reducing traffic congestion.

Several South Sound cities said they would shut down red-light cameras if I-985 passes.

Democratic challenger Darcy Burner is leading Rep. Dave Reichert to represent Washington's 8th Congressional District.

Burner has received 57 percent of the vote to Reichert's 43 percent in early returns.

Only 34,000 votes have been reported so far in the district, which includes Seattle's East Side suburbs and East Pierce County.

Burner is challenging the two-term Congressman a second time after losing to him by 3 points in 2006.

BC-WA-Init-1000-AuthMedSuicd-Decided,0026

11-04-08 21:04,,

BULLETIN (AP) — Initiative 1000-Medical Choice, approved,

Washington.

Here's is AP's alert calling the state auditor's race.

@Text:BC-WA—State Auditor,0081
Sonntag wins re-election as Wash. state auditor
Eds: APNewsNow.
SEATTLE (AP) — Democratic State Auditor Brian Sonntag has coasted to re-election.

Sonntag has been auditor since 1994, and took a lead of 60 percent to 40 percent in early vote returns Tuesday against Republican Dick McEntee, the vice president of an Edmonds-based investment advisory firm.

Emily Hoppler Treichler and Liz Anderson

At the Democratic party, hard-working campaign volunteers are reminiscing on the historical election and their parts in it.
Tami Green, running for re-election to the state House, said that as the campaign came to a close in the last week, the volunteers really buckled down.

"We worked really hard to promote the
Democratic vote," Green said. As a group, the county Democrats made more than 30,000 calls, mostly focusing on the gubernatorial election. "I feel that I did good, since I'm so exhausted," Green noted.

Here's the AP story on the exit polling results from Washington state.

@Text:

BC-Voter Poll-WA,0373

Economy fears help Obama win Wash.

By PHUONG LE

Associated Press Writer

SEATTLE (AP) — Hunger for change, fears about the economic future and disapproval of the war in Iraq helped Democrat Barack Obama capture Washington state’s 11 electoral votes Tuesday, according to an Associated Press voter poll.
The economy clearly weighed heavily on the minds of Washingtonians as they went to the polls. Nearly half said they were “very worried” about the nation’s economic future in the coming year, and those voters backed Obama.
Obama drew support from an overwhelming majority of voters who felt the economy was in “poor” or “not-go-good” shape, while those who said the economy was in “good” condition favored Republican John McCain.
The war in Iraq came in a distant second to the economy in terms of voter concerns, but Obama clearly had the support of those voters who said it was a key issue for them.
Six in 10 Washington voters said they disapprove of the war in Iraq, more than during the presidential election of 2004, and those who did chose Obama over McCain.
“I just want our troops out of Iraq,” said Josephine Janofsky, 26, of Seattle, who said health care and the Iraq war were two of the biggest reasons why she voted for Obama.
In seeking a presidential candidate, one-third of Washington voters said they wanted a candidate “who can bring about needed change.” Those voters overwhelmingly backed Obama.
But voters who were most concerned that a presidential candidate share their values backed McCain.
Though only one in 10 voters said terrorism was the top issue on their minds, it was still the most pressing issue for Melissa Shogren, of Redmond, who backed McCain because she said: “Obama didn’t have the experience to handle more terrorist attacks.”
While liberals predictably went for Obama and conservatives backed McCain, four in 10 voters who consider themselves moderates strongly backed Obama. He even attracted nearly two of 10 conservative votes.
The survey of 1,328 Washington voters was conducted for AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International by landline telephone statewide over the past week. Results are subject to sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, higher for subgroups.

Pierce County has yet to release its first round of results. Auditor Pat McCarthy just said the techies working on the vote-tabulation computers had to add more memory to handle all of the data.

She didn’t give a timeline on when the first results – mostly mail-in ballots sent in through yesterday – will be released.

“We’re working on it as fast as we can,” she said, adding that the addition of ranked-choice voting has added a wrinkle to the tabulation process.

Almost 200,000 ballots will be included in the first round.

We’ll have results up as soon as we get them.

From Chelsea Gorrow and Ted Charles at the Seattle Westin...

The winning margin for Sound Transit's $17.9 billion measure is 62-38 for the first 90,000 votes turned in.

Eyman's I-985 is losing by a 56-44 margin.

Former Gov. Booth Gardner's I-1000, death with dignity, is passing by a 68-32 margin in that first batch.

This is state Republican party bash at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency, from Emily Nelson...

In the Evergreen Room of this Bellevue hotel, the entire is packed with people and very humid.

Near a row of television cameras one group discussed the right to bear arms. The party guests ranged from those in jeans and baseball caps to those in suits and ties. Near one large screen, there is a large cutout of John McCain.

Next to a stand selling buttons for Dino Rossi and the McCain-Palin ticket, guests compliment each other on their choice of political pins.

Workers at the stand said they are doing good business.

The atmosphere is less than hopeful. One woman remarked: "I can't believe McCain has already given a concession speech."

The crowd quiets at a whistle when more results come in and Sam Reed is declared secretary of state for another term. That gave people something to cheer.

From Emily Hoppler Treichler and Liz Anderson at Pierce County Demo party.

A repeatedly shushed crowd has just settled in to listen to Barack Obama's historical acceptance speech.

"It's the president, people, listen up!" One party goer announced as Obama walked to the podium. "We have never been a collective of individuals... we are and always will be the United States of America!" Obama announced.
"Change has come to America!"

Democratic Rep. Norm Dicks looks to be defending his seat a third time against return Republican challenger Doug Cloud.

So far, Dicks has captured 65 percent of the vote while Cloud, a Gig Harbor lawyer, has netted only 35 percent.

This year is the third time Cloud has challenged Dicks to represent Washington's 6th District, which includes most of Tacoma and the Olympic Peninsula.

Dicks, who hails from Belfair, has held his seat since 1976.

It's only a small portion of the 2nd Legislative District, but at least they have some election returns.

Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen, D-Eatonville, has 3,896 votes to the 3,323 votes of Republican challenger Randi Becker.

I have no idea when Pierce County will report numbers. The usual promise of returns by 8:30 p.m. has, once again, turned out to be wrong.

From Emily Hoppler Treichler and Liz Anderson...

Now that John McCain has conceded, most of the attention here has turned to celebrating Barack Obama's landmark win, but some are already
refocusing their attention on the much contested gubernatorial race here in Washington State.

Several people have pulled one or both New Tribune reporters aside to ask of any news of the race.

"She had better win!" one partygoer exclaimed when told the numbers hadn't come in yet.

This from Kari Plog...

George and Vivian Ewing wait for state and local results at the Pierce County GOP party at the Great American Casino in Lakewood.

Dino Rossi is ahead of Gov. Chris Gregoire for the first time tonight according to the Secretary of State's Web site:

330,009 to 325,233

Still no results from King, Pierce, Thurston or Clark counties.

UPDATE: Clark County just posted some numbers showing Gregoire with a slim lead: 69,487 to 69,004. Rossi remains slightly ahead statewide.

With about 586,000 votes in, Initiative 985, Tim Eyman's traffic congestion ballot measure, is failing by a 60-40 margin.

That with about 20 percent of the vote, if predictions of a 3 million voter turnout are right.

Chelsea Gorrow and Ted Charles are watching the Democrat's celebration at the Seattle Westin.

So far, those are the only returns I've seen.

Proposition 1 is passing with 51,119 "yes" votes to 41,086 "no" votes in Snohomish County.

No word yet from King or Pierce, which have a lot more voters.

This from Emily Hoppler Treichler...

Norm Dicks has just spoken to the crowd, acknowledging John McCain's
concession of the presidency.

"I feel so sorry for John McCain," Dicks noted at the beginning of his speech. The crowd responded with boos at the mention of McCain.

Applause followed as Dicks noted his own probable win, announcing
his excitement to begin his 17th term.

Dicks, the current 6th Congressional District Congressman, congratulated the hard work of Pierce County's Democrats in this election.

"I know we've done everything we can" to elect winner Barack Obama and Gov. Chris Gregoire. "In the future, we've got to keep working to support Barack Obama and his agenda as the new president of the United States," Dicks said.

This first batch of returns is from Kitsap County only, the portion of the 26th Legislative District where Democrats tend to do better than Republicans.

Republicans tend to do better in the Pierce County portion.

So it's significant that Kitsap County Commissioner Jan Angel, a Republican, holds a 10,089 to 9,783 vote lead over former Port Orchard Mayor Kim Abel, Democrat, in the race to succeed Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor, who is retiring.

Gov. Chris Gregoire is leading Republican challenger Dino Rossi in Snohomish, Kitsap, Spokane and Pacific counties, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Rossi is leading in Okanogan, Lewis, Skamania and Klickitat counties.

UPDATE: Gregoire is showing early leads in several Western Washington counties; Rossi is leading in all of the Eastern Washington counties reporting results except for Spokane County, which looks like a toss-up.

When they finally start posting them, here is a handy link for one-stop shopping on Proposition 1, the $17.9 billion tax package on the ballot in Pierce, King and Snohomish counties.

A little anti-climactic perhaps, given that it came after the nation was projected for Barack Obama, but the AP has projected that Washington state's 11 electoral votes will go to Obama.

Here's their dispatch:

@Text:

BC-WA—President, 2nd Ld-Writethru,0285

Barack Obama defeats John McCain in Wash. state

Eds: EXPANDS with detail. Will be led.

By CURT WOODWARD

Associated Press Writer

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama captured Washington state’s 11 electoral votes Tuesday, defeating Republican John McCain.
The call was based on an analysis of voter interviews, conducted for The Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.
Obama’s victory kept alive a 24-year winning streak for Democrats in the Evergreen State — Washington voters haven’t picked a Republican for president since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Obama consistently led in polls here leading up to Election Day. Neither party’s presidential nominee came to Washington throughout the summer or fall, signaling that both sides expected Obama to take Washington.

This from Emily Hoppler Treichler and Elizabeth Anderson at the Pierce County Democrats' party.

The room here has just exploded into spontaneous applause as CNN projected Barack Obama as the winner of the presidential race.

"At this moment, I am proud of my country," said voter Angie Hansen-Moore. "I am so hopeful that Obama actually wins this evening." Nearly everyone here has stood up in wait for more resultsto come in and solidify Obama's lead. The TV had become entirely blocked by the masses of hopeful Democrats waiting for more news.

That's from the SecState first posting.

Chelsea Gorrow and Ted Charles are watching the scene at the Seattle Westin.

As Virginia announced their vote for Barack Obama, the Chairman of the state Democratic Party took the stage and announced Obama as president of the United States of America.

"When I was twelve, I went to the march on Washington and I heard Martin Luther King Jr.'s I have a dream Speech...Tonight another part of that dream has come true," said chairman Dwight Pelz.

Here's AP's Flash...

@Text:BC-APNewsAlert
FLASH

WASHINGTON (AP) — Obama wins presidency.
AP-WS-11-04-08 2300EST

The networks have agreed to wait until a given state's polls have closed before calling that state. But if they have exit polling data that is convincing enough, they'll make a projection as soon as they can – often minutes after the polls close.

With Barack Obama sitting on more than 200 electoral votes (more as more networks project Virginia to Obama), the three West Coast states would be enough to put him over the top.

That could happen shortly after 8.

Here is an AP story on the national exit poll, a lengthy survey of voters as they were leaving the polls (and by telephone in Washington and Oregon:

Exit poll: Obama wins women, blacks, Hispanics
By Connie Cass
AP Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama soaked up most of the votes from the nation’s women, blacks and Hispanics and siphoned off enough white support to leave John McCain with a thin majority among this group essential to a Republican victory, exit polls suggested.
McCain and Obama split white votes across the U.S. except in the South — where McCain got twice as many votes as Obama.
McCain’s lead among white women was especially thin — roughly 5 percentage points. Overall, he was backed by just over half of white voters, a group that had favored President Bush over John Kerry by 17 percentage points in 2004.

=> Read more!

AP, which has been the most-hesitant of all of the national news outlets, has finally called Ohio for Barack Obama. That's the second battleground state to go to Obama.

@Text:BC-Election Rdp, 31st Ld,120
URGENT
Obama seizes command of race for the White House
Eds: APNewsNow. Will be led. AP Video.
AP Photo NY111, INMC107, ILDP103, ILDP102, AZSS108, INJH111, PASTR102, COMK218
By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama has seized command of the race for the White House.
The Illinois senator has beaten John McCain in Ohio and is building a near insurmountable Electoral College advantage as he bids to become the first black president.
Fellow Democrats are gaining strength in both houses of Congress.
Obama’s Ohio victory denied McCain particularly precious territory. No Republican has ever won the presidency without the state

Pollster.com has a good election map in which it relies on AP and the networks to call each state. If one news outlet gives it to Obama and McCain, they color a state light blue or light red. If all of them do so, it colors the state dark blue or dark red.

Here's the link to that map.

Here is the AP's urgent on Pennsylvania:

BC-Election Update-830pm,130

URGENT

Obama in Pa.

Eds: APNewsNow.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a state that John McCain badly needed to win, but Pennsylvania has gone to Barack Obama. The state’s 21 electoral votes go to the Democrat.
The loss of Pennsylvania narrows the possible paths to victory for McCain.
Obama now leads with 99 electoral votes, to McCain’s 34.

State and county elections officials have agreed on the process for closing polls tonight if there are still long lines of voters waiting to cast ballots (and there will be).

Here's what state elections director Nick Handy says will happen:

“An election worker will go to the end of the line and stand there monitoring the line. That person will make sure no one else joins the line and will make sure that all those in line are properly processed through the polling sites.

“All polling sites will stay open until all voters who were in line at 8 p.m. have voted. Both counties are committed to this process, so we can make a strong firm statement about this.”

King County has 392 polling places. Pierce County has consolidated all poll voters into 55 polling places.

We’ve been writing about the scene in front of the poll judges’ table, which, in spots, is overwhelming.

Last night I spoke with one of the judges who’s working at the Federal Way poll in St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church. She gave a glimpse of why poll judges sign up for the minimum-wage job in the first place, why they keep coming back, and why they will miss the opportunity to vote in person in King County.

Alice Thorstad, 84, predicted huge turnout.

“I think it will be busy tomorrow,” she said Monday evening. “I’m sure it will be busy. I expect a long line out the door. They say 80 percent.”

That kind of turnout would be a fitting end to her 30 years of minimum-wage service as a poll judge.

During that time, she’s seen elections in which 12 voters showed up. She’s seen voting technology and procedures transformed.

“We used to have to sit down and count all the ballots afterwards,” she said. “We don’t do that any more. The machine does it.”

King County may be sold on voting by mail, but Thorstad is not.

=> Read more!

Lots of discussion in our comments about what today's lines say about vote-by-mail.

You could argue, like Secretary of State spokesman David Ammons does, that the crowds underline the need to move to all-mail voting.

Or you could make a case that people are voting with their feet in favor of the old fashioned polling place election. If anything, the ample traditional turnout argues for reopening closed precinct polls.

We're putting it to a vote on our hot button poll. Vote and comment here.

Dispatches from Kris Sherman, who sometimes calls herself "the TNT Fox Island bureau":

I parked three-tenths of a mile beyond Harbor Life Church to get to a polling place as saturated with voters this afternoon as the ground is soggy with rain.

And that was on extremely busy 56th Street Northwest, where cars streak by at 35-50 mph. All manner of vehicles - from pricey Infinities and Lexuses to family workhorse Chrysler minivans, four-wheel-drive pickups and gas-sipping Japanese compacts - hugged the road so closely it was treacherous to walk either way.

Walk on the right side of the vehicles and you're on uneven ground fighting thickets of blackberry vines and other vegetation, risking a fall.

Choose the left side, and you're beyond the white fog line, trekking to the polling place in the traffic lane. I hopscotched between cars, waiting about every three or so to move on during breaks in the midday crush of traffic. It took me about 10 minutes to get the three-tenths of a mile that way.

=> Read more!

State elections director Nick Handy found this state law governing what accommodations employers must make to allow their workers reasonable time to vote.

I thought about this after talking to a woman who left her polling place at Zion Lutheran Church on 6th Avenue because she didn't have time to wait.

RCW 49.28.120
Employer's duty to provide time to vote.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, every employer shall arrange employees' working hours on the day of a primary or election, general or special, so that each employee will have a reasonable time up to two hours available for voting during the hours the polls are open as provided by *RCW 29.13.080.

If an employee's work schedule does not give the employee two free
hours during the time the polls are open, not including meal or rest
breaks, the employer shall permit the employee to take a reasonable time up to two hours from the employee's work schedule for voting purposes.

In such a case, the employer shall add this time to the time for whichthe employee is paid.

(2) The provisions of this section apply only if, during the period
between the time an employee is informed of his or her work schedule for a primary or election day and the date of the primary or election, there is insufficient time for an absentee ballot to be secured for that primary or election.

Joe Strupp at Editor and Publisher has a good article explaining how the Associated Press decides when to project a state for one candidate or the other.

Since many news outlets rely on the AP, Strupp gives a quick behind-the-scenes look at the data and analysis that goes into the decision.

Drew Perine/The News Tribune
Sophie Brown, 20, takes her turn holding an American flag to prevent it from flapping in the faces of waiting voters like Les Brenner, 49, who stood outside the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tacoma for over a half hour Tuesday afternoon waiting to vote.

Just in case you were getting frustrated waiting in line, county elections officials had this message for voters at Immanuel Presbyterian Church on North J. Street (as observed by our Niki Sullivan).

Pollster.com has an interesting article on exit polling. In past years the members of the consortium paying for the national exit polls leaked results, even though it violated the rules and good taste. That's why there would be blog posts about how the exit polls had Kerry winning Florida (he didn't) and even winning the election (he didn't).

This year the owners of the poll (mainly AP and the networks) have created a quarantine system so there is no way the polling experts can get word out, at least until the polls start closing in the east.

As a primer, an exit poll is a poll conducted at polling places (and by phone in Oregon and Washington) that interviews voters as they exit the polls. The survey is more lengthy than other polls and tries to get at why voters voted the way they did as opposed to who they voted for.

They can be misused to project a state's result, however, before the polls close.

This just in from a reader who just returned from Olympic View Baptist Church at 4704 Elwood Dr. W. in University Place:

I went to vote at my designated poling place in University Place and waited in a 20-person line only to get to the front and be told that I was in the wrong line for my last name. I didn't know this however, because none of the positions were labeled and no one knew which line to stand in.

The man that told me I was in the wrong line pointed me to another line. Wrong again. Although it was much shorter than the first it was still a waste of time.

I finally went to the third and final line which was in the middle, and my last name starts with A.

That didn't make any sense to me and there was a lot of general confusion and no one knew where to go. I saw a few people come in and leave not wanting to deal with the mess.

I sent a note to David Ammons, spokesman for Secretary of State Sam Reed, and asked if state elections officials are aware of the long lines in Pierce County and whether polls would be kept open.

Here is his reply:

We are monitoring the situation, and certainly hope that all who wish to vote will be accommodated.

Assistant Director of Elections Katie Blinn (a UP resident and an attorney) is on the scene, as is Lori Guerrero of our Elections Division.

Sam Reed shook his head when told of the long lines, and said he’s sorry for the inconvenience some voters are experiencing.

He said state law allows the voting to be held open to accommodate all who are in line as of 7:59 p.m.

Pierce and King counties are the only two of Washington's 39 counties that are operating poll sites today. The other 37 counties are voting by mail only, and King County is set to do that next year. Pierce County is the lone holdout.

Ammons suggested that today's long lines might serve as further evidence of the practicality of closing poll sites.

To my mind, this certainly underscores the practical wisdom of moving to vote-by-mail, which involves no waiting in line and allows folks to sit around the dining room table and, at their convenience at any hour of the day or night, to mark the ballot, stick a stamp on it on and mail it. Nine out of 10 Washington voters will be voting by mail this election, and King County switches next year, once the feds certify new rapid-counting equipment.

Somebody certainly disagrees. I saw two of these signs at an intersection in Fircrest this morning:

Does anybody know who put them up?

The line at Mason Methodist Church was two hours long. All morning long. But I didn't notice anyone complaining. For the most part voters who are committed to voting in person rather than by mail were wide-eyed at the numbers, kind of thrilled to be part of it all.

Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma was a few people behind me. I asked if he remembered waiting to vote. He thought about it and decided that perhaps in 1976. But even then it was not for this long.

The mood was patient and friendly. People broke out of line to chat with friends and neighbors. Strangers struck up conversations. The weather was cooperative, which helped.

At one point a man pulled into the driveway and unloaded a dozen coffees from the nearby Starbucks. He walked down the line and offered them to anyone who wanted one.

Some will make the case that this proves that Pierce and King counties should join the rest of the state and covert to all-mail voting. But few in this line were voicing such thoughts. After all of the attempts to push voters away from the polls, the remaining poll voters are committed.

Despite the time it took, I didn't regret it for a minute.

Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy said she doesn’t have the authority to extend polling hours even in the face of a huge voter turnout.

But McCarthy, helping run the overcrowded polling place at Bethlehem Lutheran Church on Tacoma’s East Side, said anyone in line when the polls close at 8 tonight will get a chance to vote.

“We won't say, ‘Sorry, you're not allowed to cast a ballot,’” she said.

David Ammons, a spokesman for the state Secretary of State’s office, said the law doesn’t allow for an extension of polling hours. Only a court order could force an extension, he said.

Dean J. Koepfler/The News Tribune

Ginger Burchyett has never missed a chance voting in a presidential election.

The long lines at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Tacoma, though, were testing the 30-year-old patience.

“This is the most disorganized thing I’ve seen in my entire life,” said Burchyett, who had been waiting for more than two hours by noontime – and was only in the middle of her line. She was in danger of missing her 1 p.m. shift at a Puyallup veterinary clinic.

Other voters said they were waiting as many as three hours to cast their vote. The Pierce County Auditor’s office brought extra workers to help out, but more than 300 people still packed the basement of the church at 101 E. 38th St. More were waiting on the stairs.

Poll workers originally issued numbers for people waiting in line so they could wait elsewhere, but Auditor Pat McCarthy stopped that shortly after she and other workers from her office arrived.

The issue of handing out numbers frustrated many people waiting in line. Several complained that people who received numbers were allowed to skip to the front of the line.

McCarthy called the move “a real faux pas.”

“It was well-intentioned, but it just backfired,” she said.

The overflow crowd packed the basement, causing the Tacoma Fire Department to get involved. Phil Ferrell, the deputy fire marshal, estimated about 300 people were in the room at about 1 p.m. The basement has a maximum occupancy of 200.

"We'll need to line-queue them so they'll wait elsewhere," Ferrell told McCarthy.

"We're overcrowded everywhere," she responded.

"I understand," he said, "but this is a safety issue."

Ferrell said the department received calls from people who were worried about suffocating or concerned that they couldn't get out if there was a fire.

"Times like this is when things go wrong," he said. "It's a great turnout, but we just have safety issues here."

Ferrell routed many people upstairs, where they waited in the church's foyer or outside its doors. He then stood by the basement doors and kept order.

Andrew Dena said there were two lines when he arrived, but it has since split into four.

“This is the first – and last – time I’ve voted at this last station,” 59-year-old Andrew Dena said. “This is outrageous.”

People have remained relatively patient despite the problems.

“I’ve probably been the most optimistic person in line,” said 42-year-old Cecelia Crawford. “I feel like there was going to be long hours, so I’ve chose not to be angry about it.”

Still, Crawford had to miss a medical appointment because the lines were so long. Other voter problems do worry her, though. She held up a pen she said workers were handing out to fill out a ballot and another labeled “ballot pen.” The latter draws a line about three times thicker.

“I don’t even know if my ballot will be counted after all of this,” she said.

From reporter Mike Archbold:

A line of voters stretched out of the front door and around the corner of the Pierce County Election Headquarters building in Tacoma around noon today.

Voters were bundled up against the chill wind that blew the fall leaves around. But the sun was out. The line moved steadily and no one seemed upset. They waited patiently.

“I’m excited to vote,” said Cheri Larson of Puyallup, who had to take time off from her pre-school teaching job to vote. She wasn’t getting paid.

Like many in line, she didn’t get an absentee ballot. She was there to get one and then vote. The wait didn’t bother her, she said.

Some voters were there because it was their precinct. Once inside they took their ballots and sat on chairs in the hallway. It was crowded but orderly.

Through the windows in the hallway, election workers inside the office could be seen answering phones and already counting absentee ballots. Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy was out visiting polling places, according to
her staff.

U.S. Army Pvt. Justin Collin, 24, from Fort Lewis stood in line with his voter registration form. He was among a number of soldiers in line. Unlike civilians, military personnel can register up through election day, and
Election Headquarters was the only place to do that.

He said Fort Lewis commanders told soldiers to take all the time they needed today to vote.

“We’re voting for our new boss,” he said. He didn’t want to say publicly who he was going to vote for but said in general the decision for soldiers will probably come to who wants to deploy soldiers and who doesn’t and who wants
to pay them more.

Chris Schwab of Tacoma was taking his lunch hour and perhaps a little more to vote. He had been in line 25 minutes already. For some reason, he hadn’t received his absentee ballot but his wife had.

He came by Monday afternoon to get one but arrived 15 minutes too late. “It just seems to make sense not to shut down at 4:30 p.m. when they knew they had ballots that didn’t arrive,” he said.

Betty Payne of Puyallup was in line to find out if she could vote there and not make the trip to University Place where she was still registered. She, too, was taking time off from work.

Reporter Debbie Cafazzo sent over this tasty morsel:

Even politicians gotta eat.

The folks at Infinite Soups in Tacoma were thrilled at lunchtime today when Gov. Chris Gregoire stopped in for a cup of mushroom stroganoff.

First gentleman Mike Gregoire and a Gregoire daughter walked in first. They debated which soup to order for the governor, who was waiting in the car.
But the aroma of the bubbling soup must have called to her because before her family could make a choice, the governor walked in and settled on the mushroom.

“She said it was good,” said Infinite Soups co-owner Wendy Clapp, who points out that her belly-warming concoctions are served on a strictly nonpartisan basis.

“We keep our politics to ourselves,” she says. “But I did tell her that I hoped she had a good day.”

Beth Frick pulled in to vote at Zion Lutheran Church, 3410 Sixth Ave., and the parking lot was full. Ditto for street parking.

So Frick wondered why there was no line extending from the church.

"They had them wrapped around like a coil inside," Frick said. "It was thrilling."

Normally, she said, she runs into two or three other people when she votes at the church.

The line was tough on a few adults who had come with children. Some got impatient and left. The vast majority of people stayed for the wait of over an hour.

"Someone said, 'I'm looking for the young people, first-time voters,'" Frick said. "This woman raised her hand in the M-through-Z line. She had gray hair. I asked her how old she was, and she said 41. She said there was never any reason before to come out and vote. She was very excited. She was there with a friend. I said, 'Well, welcome to the fold.'"

Frick enjoyed a conversation with the man standing next to her, a long-time Republican who was voting Democratic.

"It's very emotional when you see so many people in line," she said. "It was excitement, excitement, excitement."

When Frick left, the parking lot was still full.

"There are more cars in the lots than on a Sunday morning," she said. "That's the Gospel truth."

The Associated Press moved this story today. Challenger Rob Welch, a former Richland City councilman, is the candidate in question. He and incumbent state Rep. Larry Haler are both Republicans, one of those same-party runoffs produced by Washington's new Top Two primary election.

State house candidate on mental health hold

KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) _ A Republican candidate for the 8th District House seat in the state Legislature is being held on a 72-hour mental health evaluation.

Kennewick police responded to a call about 43-year-old Rob Welch at about 10 p.m. Sunday when his wife reported he may be suicidal. Sarah Welch said her husband had punched a pane of glass and walked out of the house following an argument with his son.

Welch was found safe when he walked back home. He was taken to Kennewick General Hospital for treatment to his hand, then detained and taken to a counseling center for evaluation.

Welch served six years on the Richland City Council, including four as mayor. He is challenging incumbent Rep. Larry Haler for the House seat.

Dean J. Koepfler / The News Tribune
Less than a month after suffering a stroke, 90-year-old Willie Mae Goodman-Stacker received a day pass from Tacoma's St. Joseph Medical Center to cast her vote. Bernard Williams, Stacker's 4-year-old great-nephew, helped push her wheelchair to a waiting car after casting her ballot on Tuesday.

Ever since she voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Willie Mae Stacker has cast her ballot in person. She likes to be in the thick of democracy, and there's no better place than the polls to experience that.

Today, even though she is a patient at St. Joseph Hospital, she voted in person again.

Stacker, 90, suffered a stroke Oct. 13. It paralyzed her right side, including her voting arm. Occupational therapist Scott Mars and nurse Maria Scanlan-Coen have been part of the team helping her recover. It's tough, they said, but she's got grit.

And style.

Stacker enlisted her niece, Anea Williams, and her pastor, The Rev. Freeman McKindra of Miles Memorial Church, to get her to the polls at First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. She asked the hospital for a day pass. And she set out in the blue velour casual suit that Williams bought her for the event. Her hair and nails were done. For this election, she wanted to dress up.

Mars and Scanlan-Coen have worked at St. Joseph for 20-some years, and they cannot remember a patient asking for a pass to vote. That Stacker did so does not surprise them. She is, they agreed, a remarkably hard-working woman.

=> Read more!

I was out at polling places last Election Day, when the lines weren’t nearly as long. Then again, there wasn’t a presidential election, a gubernatorial election, divisive initative measures, etc.

But back then, the county was ready to write off polling places. Here’s an excerpt from my Nov. 7, 2007 story:

The county operated 58 polling locations this year, down from 92 a few years ago.

(Auditor Pat) McCarthy said about 75 percent of voters use mail-in ballots and that neighboring counties have transitioned to all-mail. The driving force behind closing polling places is the move to instant-runoff voting, which she said adds another layer of complexity to a complex process.

"When we looked at implementing ranked-choice voting in a presidential year . . . it may put us over the top with the challenges we face," she said.

Joe Barrentine/The News Tribune

People wait in line to cast their votes at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tacoma's North End this morning. The wait exceeded 90 minutes.

Reporter Sean Robinson squeezed off a shot of his polling place in Puyallup, just before a sharp-eyed elections volunteer told him to turn off his wireless phone. This was the mid-morning scene at the Shepherd of the Hill Church on South 112th Street. Three lines divided alphabetically, and a milling crowd waited for harried workers to hand out ballots. On a typical Election Day in this place, you can cast your ballot in about 30 seconds. Not today.

I've just come from First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, 602 North Orchard St.

It was packed.

Some people breezed through in 15 minutes or so, but others waited half an hour or more. At times, the line was out the door.

It was a line encouraging in its diversity, with people of all ages and several ethnicities. Most people were using the wait to chat with one another. One person, encouraged by the turnout, called it "a good line."

The polling place had two touch screen machines, and one broke down was carted away. If you're in a line, your best bet for speed might be a paper ballot. If you use paper, you'll notice that the box that receives it not like those used in previous years. It's a secure box with a slot, not a machine that counts your ballot as you slide it in. The change accommodates the two ballots used this year, one for the county, and one for all other races.

We are hearing via the blog that lines at Bethlehem Lutheran Churcgh, 101E. 38th St., are very long. One voter reports shoing up at 9:30 a.m., standing in line just to get a number to vote, and being told that it would then take two to three hours to vote.

Mornings are generally the lightest time of the voting day, and lines are still long. It might be a good thing to vote as early as you can.

A dozen damp patriots were clumped outside By His Word Christian Center in Midland at 7 a.m. this morning.

When the polls inside opened, there was little waiting. Poll judges signed them in and handed them two ballots, one for Pierce County's ranked choice voting, and one for state and national races. Voters could stand at open booths or relax at tables, browsing their voter pamphlets as they connected the dots.

"This is unusual for us," said poll judge Annelies Perry.

So far, she said, no one had had any problems with the ranked choice ballots. On Monday, when she'd worked the express booth, though, she's gotten lots of complaints.

The electronic voting machine malfunctioned around 7:15. The card activator for the touch screen machine was not working properly. Within 20 minutes, trouble shooter Ron Landberg was there with a replacement.

Landberg was still there when voter Robert Yerberg waslked in wearing an Obama-Biden long-sleeve tee shirt.

"You have to put on your jacket," Landberg told him. "Really."

Yerberg complied with good humor, then sat to rfill out his ballots.

Judges don't know how many voters had come and gone. In past years, the machine that accepts the ballots keeps a running tally. This year, it's been replaced by a secure box that holds both ballots.

Theodore Charles	Maren Anderson	Sarah Kehoe
Emily Hoppler-Treichler	Kari Plog	Emily Nelson
Alex Burch	Elizabeth Anderson	Mallory Shoemaker

We’re pleased to announce that our election coverage tonight will be supplemented by students from the journalism department at Pacific Lutheran University.

Professor Joanne Lisosky does a great job over there, and she offered up a group of students who’d like to get some professional experience. They’re going to cover the state and county Democratic Party gatherings in Seattle and Tacoma, respectively, and the state and county Republican gatherings in Bellevue and Lakewood, respectively. Peter Callaghan, who will anchor our coverage here on Political Buzz, will post their reports throughout the evening.

Here’s the latest lineup so far:

Emily Nelson, a sophomore journalism major from Milwaukie, Ore.

Emily Hoppler Treichler, a junior psychology major from Olympia

Sarah Kehoe, a senior journalism major from Olympia

Kari Plog, a sophomore communications major from Spanaway

Maren Anderson, a senior Norwegian major from Tacoma

Theodore Charles, a freshman anthropology major from Bow, Wash.

Elizabeth Anderson, a junior studying finance and communications, from Billings, Mont.

Alex Burch, a senior communications major from Everett

Mallory Shoemaker, a junior journalism major from Kent