Pullman propositions lack needed votes to pass

IAN SMAY, Evergreen reporter

Both city of Pullman propositions currently do not have enough votes to pass despite beating the 60 percent supermajority threshold.

Proposition No. 1 has 62 percent of voters approving the measure, which satisfies the needed supermajority. However, city propositions have to be voted on by at least 40 percent of voters from the last general election, according to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Pullman had 9,635 people vote in last year’s election.

This requirement puts the minimum number of votes at 3,854. Proposition No. 1, which would fund a new City Hall and recreation center, has received a little over 3,200 votes, meaning that unless nearly all of the estimated 700 votes remaining in Whitman County are Pullman voters, the proposition will fail.

Proposition No. 2, which would fund the creation and renovation of city parks and paths, also has a little under 3,200 votes in total. The “approve” side is leading with 73 percent of the votes, but unless almost all of the estimated remaining votes are Pullman residents, the proposition will also likely fail due to a lack of voter turnout.

Pullman City Council Ward 2 has the closest race on the ballot, with only ten votes separating the two candidates. Dan Records leads Garren Shannon with 224 votes. Ward 3 incumbent Jeff Hawbaker is behind challenger Brandon Chapman by a little over 100 votes, and Chapman has made a Facebook post claiming the victory.

Pullman Ward 1 incumbent Alan Sorensen received 57 percent of the vote over challenger Eric Fejeran. While Sorensen has not claimed victory yet, he posted on Facebook that he was feeling good about the results and thanked supporters.

Pullman School District also has two director positions on the ballot. Challenger Nathan Roberts has extended his lead to a little under 300 votes against incumbent Karl Johanson for District 4 director, up from the 100 vote lead Roberts held to end election night. District 5 challenger Amanda Tanner is beating incumbent Dean Kinzer by about 400 votes. Tanner’s lead has doubled since election night.

The results of the 2017 Whitman County elections will not be certified until the end of the month, according to the Whitman County Auditor’s office. Those interested in complete results for Whitman County and Washington can visit the Washington Elections website.

Reporting by Ian Smay