LAKE COUNTY >> With final election results in, preliminary results held true across the board and the county”s turnout made for a respectable 53.9 percent of registered voters.
Compared to the national turnout of 36.4 percent, which is sadly the lowest since World War II, and the state turnout of 42.2 percent, Lake County came in ahead of this year”s dismal averages. However, compared to November 2012, where 67.8 percent of county voters cast ballots, and November 2010, which heard from 66 percent of voters, the county also fell short of its own voting record.
By city, the election brought 44.6 percent of Clearlake”s and 59 percent of Lakeport”s registered voters to the polls. District 2 and District 3”s supervisor race brought out 44.9 percent and 56.3 percent of voters respectively.
Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley had anticipated at least 65 percent of registered voters, expecting the high impact of the three countywide measures, including two cannabis-related measures and a third try for a sales tax to benefit the lake, would spark interest in eligible voters.
“I guess the interest wasn”t as high as I thought it would be,” Fridley said. “I thought there would be more interest in our local measures.”
Since preliminary results came in on Nov. 4, the three measures appeared to be set for failure. Measures O and P stuck close together from the beginning with just over a third of votes in approval; coming in at 38.6 percent of yes votes, O only received a few percentage points of approval over P”s 34.3 percent.
Measure S supporters, on the other hand, were allowed more hope for a slim victory when preliminary results showed 64.1 percent of approval on the night of Nov. 4. The remaining two-and-a-half points needed for the supermajority was never reached and final results left the third try for the sales tax dead in the lake at 63.6 percent.
Less favorable among Clearlake”s voters was Measure R, another half-cent sales tax up for its third try. It needed an additional 13.2 points for its win.
Candidates” preliminary numbers were telling early on. Jim Steele and Jeff Smith both secured their seats on the Board of Supervisors with good margins, as did Mireya Turner and Stacey Mattina on Lakeport City Council. Bruno Sabatier and Russell Perdock will take theirs on Clearlake City Council as Joey Luiz vacates his coming in just 2 points behind Perdock.
Up next year is a consolidated general district election in November where voters will cast ballots for governing board members of various school and special districts. The average turnout for that type of election in Lake County sits a little above 20 percent.
2016 will see a presidential primary and election and without an incumbent on the ballot, Fridley expects a high turnout. The last election of its kind in 2008 saw an excellent turnout with 73.6 percent of Lake County voters casting ballots.
