Just 14% have voted on crucial Tri-Cities school measures. Only days left
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- Just 14% of Tri-City voters returned ballots with one week left before Feb. 10 election.
- Kennewick, Richland and Pasco seek renewals that would raise $568 million from 2027–2030.
- Voters can return ballots to certified drop boxes by 8 p.m. or mail with Feb. 10 postmark.
Just 14% of registered voters in Benton and Franklin counties had returned their ballots a week out from the Feb. 10 special election.
About 167,800 voters in the two counties that make up the Tri-Cities will decide on crucial school taxes that will fund education, operations, athletics, technology and security.
Of the 119,000 registered voters in Benton County, about 15%, or 18,300, had returned their ballots by Monday afternoon.
In Franklin County, that number was about 10%, or 5,000 of nearly 48,800 registered voters.
While low, returns are on not far off from four years ago, when Benton County saw a total turnout of 30% and Franklin County had 25%.
Between the two counties, about 230 ballots have been challenged mostly due to mismatched signatures.
Across Washington, more than 2.5 million ballots have been mailed to Washington voters for the Feb. 10 election. Nearly half of Washington state’s 295 school districts have some form of levy or measure on the ballot.
Levies are for learning. They help supplement per-pupil education money that districts receive from the state and help bridge the gap between what the state and federal government pay and what is actually needed to provide students a holistic education.
Levies require a simple majority of voters — more than 50% — in order to pass.
Kennewick, Richland and Pasco — the three Tri-City districts that educate 51,000 students — are asking their voters to renew five measures that will collectively raise $568 million between 2027 and 2030.
Voters in rural Mid-Columbia school districts — in Grandview, Burbank, Kahlotus and Connell — will decide on whether to renew five measures that raise a combined $42 million.
None of the 10 measures are new taxes.
Voters have until 8 p.m. on election night to submit their ballots into a county-certified drop box. They can also send their ballot back through the U.S. Postal Service free of charge, but it must be postmarked by Tuesday, Feb. 10.
After Monday, new voters or voters looking to update their registration must file paperwork in-person at their local elections department or county auditor’s office.
