Regular school levy passes; bond fails

Whatcom County Auditor’s Office results for the February 13 special election showed Blaine, Birch Bay and Point Roberts voters approving a property tax levy for the Blaine school district while rejecting the school district’s general obligation bond by failing to pass the supermajority threshold.

The Blaine school district put two funding propositions on the ballot: A replacement property tax levy that makes up roughly 17 percent of the district’s operating budget, and a capital bond to fund building renovations, among other

projects.

The school levy will start collecting $0.98 per $1,000 in assessed home value in 2025, which will increase to $1.04 by 2028. The bond would have collected a flat $0.76 per $1,000 rate through 2046.

In total, 58.0 percent of Blaine, Birch Bay and Point Roberts voters (3,345 votes) approved the levy, which will raise no more than $7.5 million for the district in 2025.

The school district bond had to clear a higher, 60 percent supermajority hurdle, and will miss that mark with only 54.7 percent (3,200 votes) voting to approve the funding measure.

In all but three of the 18 local precincts, a majority of voters approved the school district’s levy and bond, but it still wasn’t enough for the bond to reach the state-mandated supermajority. A majority of voters in precincts 108, 112 and 122 rejected both of the district’s funding requests.

Point Roberts voted 54.6 and 54.5 percent in favor of the levy and the bond issue, respectively.

In other election news, ballots for the upcoming presidential primary were mailed to all 160,021 registered Whatcom County voters starting February 21, with an election day deadline set Tuesday, March 12.

Whatcom County voters will be asked to choose who they want in the race for the nation’s presidency, in what is appearing likely to be a rematch of the 2020 election with incumbent Joe Biden to face former President Donald Trump in the November general election.

Presidential primary elections in Washington state require voters to declare an affiliation with either the Democratic or Republican party in order for their primary vote to count. Voters do not have an option to identify as unaffiliated or independent, and their party choice will not affect how they can vote in future elections.

Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips, a Democrat, will appear alongside Biden on the Democratic ballot, while former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley joins Trump as the only two actively campaigning Republican candidates on the ballot.

A number of candidates who announced the suspension of their campaigns after Washington state submission deadlines will also be on the primary ballots.

Democrat candidate Marianne Williamson, and Republicans Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy will appear on the primary ballot, despite all dropping out of the race in recent weeks.

Ballots can be returned as soon as they are received, and will be accepted by mail or in official ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. March 12. Stamps are not needed to mail a ballot, but must be postmarked by March 12 at the latest.

A ballot box has been set up at the Marketplace for Point Roberts residents.

People may register to vote by 8 p.m. Election Day. Whatcom County residents who would like to register to vote or update their voter registration may do so online, at votewa.gov, by Monday, March 4. Starting Tuesday, March 5, people must visit the auditor’s office to register to vote or update their information. Voters should have received a ballot by Tuesday, February 27 at the latest, according to the auditor’s office. Registered voters who didn’t receive a ballot should contact the auditor’s office. The Whatcom County Auditor’s Office can be contacted at 360/778-5102, elections@co.whatcom.wa.us or by visiting the auditor’s office at 311 Grand Avenue, Suite 103, Bellingham.