Races tighten as counties near end of ballot counts

MOSES LAKE — Primary races and ballot initiative results for the Aug. 3 primary continue to tighten as officials continue counting ballots in preparation to certify election results next week.

In ballot measures, for the three-year replacement levy in Moses Lake School District, results continue to tighten, though the “no” vote maintains a solid lead of 52%, or 3,584. To pass, the levy needs 50% plus one approval.

In Quincy, the “yes” vote for the one-year, $825,000 levy to support the Grant County Hospital District 2/Quincy Valley Medical Center grew to 66%, or 1,072 votes.

In the two open city council seats in Moses Lake, Karen Liebrecht continues to maintain a slight lead in the close race for Council Member 2 with 34%, or 1,036 votes. However, number two and number three in this race have flipped as votes have been counted, and following close is now Dustin Swartz with 33%, or 1,005 votes, with Eric Eleazar Salgado now coming in third with 32%, or 951 votes.

Judy Madewell has widened her lead in the count to win Council Member 5 with 46%, or 1,381 votes, ahead of incumbent David Curnel with 43%, or 1,271 votes, and Devin Deitrick still in third with 10%, or 302 votes.

In the contest to occupy Quincy School Board Direct District 5, Chad Lower remains in the lead with 51%, or 758 votes, with Liliana Garcia still coming in second with 28%, or 417 votes. Enrique Henry Hernandez is coming in third with 21%, or 315 votes.

In the Moses Lake School District, the three-way contest to occupy Director District 2 has seen the incumbent school board Member Vickey Melcher’s lead narrow slightly to 50%, or 3,283 votes, followed by challenger Paul Hill with 33%, or 2,180 votes. Noah Zemke is still in third with 16%, or 1,055 votes.

Vying for the MLSD’s Director District 4 seat, Moses Lake Police Department Chief Kevin Fuhr maintains a slightly smaller lead with 40%, or 2,705 votes, followed by Rachel Roylance Gallacci with 36%, or 2,389 votes,

Still coming in third is Matt Paluch with 17%, or 1,155 votes, and James Liebrecht a distant fourth with 7%, or 433 votes.

In the city of George, the three-way vote for the Council Member 4 seat sees Julia Schooler widening her lead to three with 15 votes, 42%, ahead of John Ammons with 12 votes, 33%, followed by Katrina Rodriguez with 9 votes, 25%.

In the city of Grand Coulee, Ben Hughes maintains a huge lead in the race for Council Member 1 with 101 votes, 66%, with his nearest rival Trace Justice Wright garnering just 27 votes, 17%, followed by Frank Jones with 22 votes, or 14%.

In the town of Hartline’s race for Council Member 2, Goldye Moyer maintains a solid lead with 25 votes, 54%, against competitors Brian Sayler with 17, 40%, and Mark Frye with 4 votes, or 9%.

In Adams County, in the race for Lind Town Council Position 2, Sheri Marlin is in the lead with 72 votes, 42%, over rivals Mike Wold with 64 votes, 40%, and Kathey Vedder with 36 votes, 21%.

In the race for Lind Town Council Position 3, Laura Dew maintains a huge lead with 118 votes, or 70%, over challengers Richard Baldwin with 32 votes, 19%, and Whisper Casady with 15 votes, or 9%.

Linda Kadlec maintains a solid lead in the race for Ritzville mayor with 307 votes, 55%, over challengers Dennis Chamberlain with 142 votes, 26%, and Glen Stockwell with 104 votes, 19%. In the four-way race for Ritzville City Council’s two-year, at large position, Marsha Reimers Smith holds the lead with 196 votes, 37%, over Mark Weigand with 147 votes, 28%, Charles Jingling with 111 votes, 21%, and Dan Peters with 71 votes, 14%.

Of the levy measures on the ballot across Adams County, the Othello Park and Recreation maintenance and operations levy still had 54% approval, the Lind Park and Recreation maintenance and operation levy is still passing with 76% approval, and the Ritzville Park and Recreation maintenance and operation levy is passing with 71% approval.

According to the Grant County Auditor, 8,823 ballots from the Aug. 3 primary have been counted so far with roughly 150 left to count. In Adams County, 2,091 primary ballots were cast, with 10 remaining to be counted.

Election officials statewide will certify the election results on Tuesday.