Jaime Herrera Beutler, left, is leading in the Washington lands commissioner primary race. Sue Kuehl Pederson, center, and Dave Upthegrove, right, are in a close battle for the second spot. The top two finishers will advance to the November general election. (Photos courtesy of campaigns)
Dave Upthegrove suspects there are about two dozen voters in the San Juan Islands who cast primary ballots in his favor that were rejected. The Democratic lands commissioner candidate said Thursday he might call friends or local party officials there to help track these people down and see if their ballots can be fixed and counted.
The level of effort and precision in this outreach reflects how tight the race is for the second spot between Upthegrove and Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson 10 days after the Aug. 6 primary. It’s a squeaker that could come down to a couple hundred votes – or less – as they duel to move onto the general election.
Both campaigns are scrambling to reach voters who might be able to “cure” ballots with problems – like signatures that don’t match those on file with election offices.