Sonoma County voter turnout expected to be about 50 percent

Sonoma County voter turnout was lower than expected in Tuesday’s primary, with fewer than 50 percent of registered voters casting ballots, based on county estimates.

About 30 percent of voters who cast ballots by mail had turned in a ballot by Tuesday afternoon, Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor Bill Rousseau said. In-person turnout from precincts was not available late Tuesday night.

About 75 percent of Sonoma County voters cast their ballots by mail. Primary elections typically have less participation than general elections in November, though Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties tend to beat the statewide rate and show higher turnout percentages, Rousseau said.

In Sonoma County, about 50 percent of voters typically come out for midterm elections, he said.

Four years ago, turnout was 41 percent, but eight years ago, it was 51 percent.

“Sonoma County voters … just don’t get too excited about the midterm elections,” he said.

The county’s 178 polling places opened with no major issues Tuesday, but by 12:30 p.m., that changed when a polling place at the Schellville fire station had to be relocated when a nearby wooden pallet factory caught fire, prompting evacuations.

Rousseau said if it affected voters’ abilities to cast their ballots, it was minimal. Poll workers at the fire station moved to the Sonoma Seventh-Day Adventist Church a little more than 2 miles north on Broadway.

Sandwich boards placed outside the fire station alerted voters to the change of venue and the county sent out a public notice, alerting media about the change.

There are 268,669 registered Sonoma County voters and county election workers mailed out 210,000 ballots.

An estimated 90,000 ballots had been returned by Tuesday, Rousseau said.

Typically, many mail-in voters will drop off their ballots last minute at polling places, he said.

All of the mail-in ballots need to have signatures verified, a process that takes time and slows final results. The county has 30 days to certify an election.

You can reach Staff Writer Christi Warren at 707-521-5205 or christi.warren@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @SeaWarren. You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @rossmannreport.