Heading into Friday afternoon-evening updates, the 39 county election offices had processed 1.9 million ballots, or better than 52 percent of the state’s 3.6 million registered voters.  Counties estimated that they had over 600,000 ballots on hand to tally, and an undetermined number still in transit.  Final turnout could top 70 percent.

Washington requires only that a ballot be postmarked on Election Day, and it can take days to get from the destination to the home county, particularly for those in remote locations, such as soldiers on the battlefield or relief workers in remote locations on foreign shores.

Turnout is varying greatly. The best percentages have been posted by smaller counties that are able to keep current with their mail, and that have a tradition of great turnouts.  Bragging rights, for the moment, are for Columbia County, 80.31 percent return rate, and Lincoln, at 79.02. Pend Oreille and Skamania also have better than 70 percent.  King, home to nearly 1 voter in 3, has tallied 46 percent of their registered voters’ ballots, and say they have about 270,000 on hand, plus some still in the mail.  This is King’s first big election since switching last year to all vote-by-mail.

In the closely watched U.S. Senate race, where Republican challenger Dino Rossi has conceded to three-term Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, the incumbent had a 45,498 vote margin at midday Friday, or a gap of 2.46 percent.

In the only congressional district without a clear winner, the 2nd in Northwest Washington, incumbent Democrat Rick Larsen had a scant 1,451-vote edge, or 0.66 percent ahead of Republican challenger John Koster.  That is just outside automatic recount range at the moment.

Another tight race is for the Supreme Court. Justice Richard Sanders’ lead over challenger Charlie Wiggins, has dwindled over time, to about 19,000. The gap is 1.28 percent; the race is still outside recount range.

Details and county-by-county breakouts are at our Elections results page.