New numbers show Sumner school bond passing

By Dennis Box

The Courier-Herald

What a difference day makes.

The Sumner School District bond measure, Proposition No. 1, is passing according to numbers posted on the Pierce County Auditor's Web site Thursday morning.

The updated numbers show the bond passing by the necessary supermajority with 4,743 yes votes, 60.56 percent with 3,089 no votes, 39.44 percent.

Early returns posted Wednesday morning, immediately after the election, showed the proposition failing with 3,852 yes votes, 58.24 and 2,708 no votes, 41.28 percent.

The bond must reach 60 percent or a supermajority to pass and the mail-only, special election is still very close.

There were 1,272 ballots counted Wednesday and 891 were yes votes to 381 no. If only 44 had voted no, the bond would be failing with just 59.99 percent support.

Lori Augino, elections manager for the auditor's office, said ballots will be picked up from the post office today, May 17.

“We don't expect a large number of ballots,” Augino said. “And we don't expect much change.”

The auditor's office will update the numbers each day at 5 p.m.

The proposition asked for approval of an $114 million general obligation bond for a complete rebuild of Lakeridge Middle School, modernization at several other schools and money for land acquisition for new schools.

The same school bond proposition has failed twice before, most recently in February by 130 votes and in 2006.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.

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