Washington County released the results of additional ballots Friday morning, and Banks Fire District Board Chair Mark Schmidlin is likely to lose his seat when the election is certified in May. As of Friday, 811 voters chose to recall Schmidlin, while 776 voted to keep him in his seat. Board member Ed Ewing has a more comfortable margin in his favor, with 713 voters calling for his removal, while 785 voters thus far voted against his recall.
Additional results will be counted and posted every Friday, with a final report expected to be issued early in May, a county elections employee told the Banks Post in a phone call.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.