Local governments presented 57 local funding measures to voters on the recent August primary ballot in Washington, with an overall success rate of 79 percent.  This unusually high approval rating can be  attributed partly to the predominance of EMS and fire district levy renewals on the ballot, measures that typically enjoy enthusiastic voter support.  Other measures that won voter approval could be characterized as “back to basics,” including funding for transportation, libraries, and parks maintenance and operations.

Voters were more wary of capital expenditures on new discretionary projects, such as a proposed aquatic center in Walla Walla and playing field upgrades in Port Angeles.   Both the Port Angeles bond measure and a Mountlake Terrace Civic Center measure that appears to be failing would have passed handily with a 50 percent threshold for approval, but are falling short of the 60 percent approval rate required for authorization of general obligation bonds for capital purposes.

The following tables summarize the August election results.

August Primary Election Summary

Results from Top Ten Funding Measures on the Ballot