Results for the county’s only primary election have been tallied. Sarah Werling-Sandwith and Ruth McKenna won for San Juan Island School District Board position 1 and Barbara Bevens and TJ Heller won position 2.
These four candidates will make their way to the November election. There will be no recount.
The San Juan County Canvassing Board met on Monday, Aug. 14 to canvass challenged ballots cast in the Aug. 1 primary to tally the final count. Challenged ballots include those that did not include signatures and were postmarked after the primary deadline. The canvassing board will certify the election on Aug. 15.
For position 1, Sarah Werling-Sandwith led with 47.84 percent of the votes.
“I am honored that you have placed your trust in me. I am wholeheartedly dedicated to continue moving forward, and it is my mission to support our students, our families, and our teachers,” said Werling-Sandwith.
Ruth McKenna followed with 19.9 percent of the votes. There was .68 percent of a difference between McKenna’s final count and another position 1 candidate Heather Christensen’s numbers. State law would have mandated a recount if the difference was .50 percent or less.
McKenna thanked the community for support.
“I will work hard to build consensus to move forward with needed improvements in special education and a rigorous K-12 curriculum that exceeds state standards for all students,” she said.
For position 2, Barbara Bevens led with 53.12 percent of the votes, followed by TJ Heller with 34.93 percent.
“I would like to say thank you to all who voted and for putting your trust in me to do the best I can for our kids,” said Bevens. “I am honored.”
Heller could not be reached for comment.
Out of the 6,227 registered voters, 1,662 ballots came in for this election, which is 26.69 percent of county voters.
Neil Curtis, Christensen, McKenna and Werling-Sandwith all put their hats into the ring for school board director 1.
J. Alphonsine Haslet-Phillips, Bevens and Heller ran for director 2. Both positions are nonpartisan, with four-year terms.
To view all of the results, visit results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/sanjuan.
Reporter Hayley Day contributed to this story.
