Here are tonight's results in key local races. Of note: Terry Lee has slipped into second place in the assessor-treasurer's race.

Pierce County*

Executive
Shawn Bunney (R) 35.1%
Pat McCarthy (D) 26.3%
Calvin Goings (D) 23.2%
Mike Lonergan (I) 15.2%

Assessor-treasurer (nonpartisan)
Dale Washam 25.0%
Terry Lee 19.15%
Jan Shabro 19.1%
Barbara Gelman 19.1%
Barbara Davidson 10.4%
Bernardo Tuma 6.9%

County Council District 2
Joyce McDonald (R) 50.01%
Al Rose (D) 30.8%
Carolyn Merrival 19.1%

Tacoma
Tacoma Proposition 1 (repeal city council term limits)
Yes 47.7%
No 52.3%

For more returns, visit the county auditor’s web site.

Legislature
2nd District Senate
Marilyn Rasmussen (D) 47.3%
Randi Becker (R) 52.5%

* Includes first-choice votes only.

The state Department of Transportation is reminding folks who live along state highways that they have until Saturday to remove campaign signs.

"Under the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 468-66, temporary
political signs are allowed on private property; and no fee or permit is required," said the statement from DOT. "The signs must meet the following requirements: Temporary political campaign signs are limited to a maximum size of 32 square feet in area; Temporary political campaign signs must be removed within 10 days following the election."

No signs are allowed on freeway and highway right of way.

Most local ordinances have the same 10-day time frame.

That means this weekend is Sign-Free Saturday.

Dave Ammons, spokesman for Secretary of State Sam Reed, reports that county elections folks have counted more than 2.9 million ballots, so far. And they have at least another 118,000 more to be processed.

Reed was predicting an 83 percent turnout and more than 3 million voters this time around, so we're on track to hit both of those, or higher.

FYI: Washington counties are still busily counting ballots, and the turnout figure is over 80.4 percent and is now expected to exceed the original prediction of 83 percent, perhaps setting a new record. As of mid-day Thursday, counties have tallied over 2.9 million ballots and say they have about 118,000 ballots on hand to be processed, meaning we will exceed the 3 million mark for the first time in state history. There are an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 provisional ballots that are being reviewed, including about 33,000 in King and 9,000 in Pierce. (King County’s estimate of 46,000 ballots to be counted includes about 22,000 verified provisional ballots. They have another 11,000 provisionals to deal with as well.) Provisional ballots are cast when a voter doesn’t receive a regular ballot, shows up at the wrong polling place or does not appear on poll books. In some cases, the ballots cannot be counted because the voter’s registration cannot be established.

Based on analysis of the 2006 and 2007 elections, the counties’ current collective estimate of ballots on hand is 98-99 percent of the final number that will be tallied and certified on Nov. 25. If that holds true, nearly 3.1 million ballots will be counted, meaning a turnout in the 85 percent range. That would be a modern record, eclipsing the 84.5 percent turnout in the 1944 election.

Counties will certify their returns on Tuesday, Nov. 25, and will handle any necessary recounts after that. The Secretary of State will certify the election on Dec. 4.

David Ammons

Communications Director

Office of Secretary of State

o (360) 902-4140

Highlights of results released late Wednesday:

• Republican Joyce McDonald now has 50 percent of first-place votes in the County Council District 2 race. If she continues to build a lead over Democrats Al Rose and Carolyn Merrival, she’ll win with first-choice votes alone under the county’s new ranked choice voting system.

• The latest assessor-treasurer results: Dale Washam has 25 percent of first-choice votes, followed by Jan Shabro (19.18 percent), Terry Lee (19.16 percent), Barbara Gelman (19.08 percent), Beverly Davidson (10.38 percent) and Bernardo Tuma (6.85 percent).

On Friday the auditor’s office will once again run the computer software that takes voters’ second and third choices into account. Earlier tallies showed the race coming down to Washam vs. Gelman. Now that Gelman has dropped to fourth place, it will be interesting to see the new results Friday.

• No significant changes in the county executive’s race. Republican Shawn Bunney has 35.2 percent of first-place votes, followed by Democrat Pat McCarthy (26.3 percent), Democrat Calvin Goings (23.2 percent) and independent Mike Lonergan (15.2 percent). McCarthy won initial tallies that took second- and third-choice votes into account, but Bunney has been closing the gap.

• Tacoma’s Proposition 1, which would repeal term limits for city council, is still failing by a margin of 52 percent of 48 percent.