Early voter turnout high in Island County

Almost half of Island County voters had already voted as of Oct. 26.

As of Monday, just over 47 percent of registered Island County voters had returned their ballots, according to the county Elections Office.

Elections officials say that’s significantly more than the number returned this early in prior elections and follows the trend across the state.

The secretary of state’s office reports that 41.7 percent of voters returned their ballots as of Oct. 24, which is 10 days before the election.

During the 2016 General Election, just 17.9 percent of voters in the state had returned their ballots 10 days before the big day.

Elections officials point out every year that Island County has a high rate of voting. In 2016, voter turnout in Island County was 81.9 percent. The turnout in the state was 79.4 percent.

So far this year, the county has received 29,644 ballots from the 62,561 registered voters.

Island County’s neighbors aren’t as enthusiastic about early voting.

Only 28 percent of Skagit County voters, 27.7 percent of San Juan County voters and 36.1 percent of Snohomish County voters have handed in their ballots.

In addition to the presidential election, Island County voters will be casting ballots in a half dozen competitive state and county races this year.

The positions are for a Washington state senator and two state representatives, two Island County commissioners and a superior court judge.