Goen ahead of Morse by 2 with a few votes still to count

Jerry Goen crept ahead of incumbent Larry Morse by just two votes in the race for a seat on the North Whidbey Fire and Rescue commission. Only 10 ballots are left to count from the Nov. 3 election, according to the Island County Auditor's Web site.

By Jessie Stensland • November 9, 2009 12:29 pm

Jerry Goen crept ahead of incumbent Larry Morse by just two votes in the race for a seat on the North Whidbey Fire and Rescue commission.

Only 10 ballots are left to count from the Nov. 3 election, according to the Island County Auditor’s Web site.

After the vote count Tuesday, Goen had tallied 2,194 votes to 2,192 votes for Morse.

The election has been a roller coaster for the two candidates. Morse started out ahead by 38 votes following the first vote on election night, which increased to 43 votes after the second count.

But after the count on Friday, Morse was ahead by a meager two votes. And now he’s behind by two.

The Island County Auditor’s office plans another vote count, with new numbers to be released by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov 13. Visit www.whidbeynewstimes.com for the latest numbers.

Only a portion of the remaining votes are within the North Whidbey Fire and Rescue boundaries, which roughly ranges from Libbey Road to Deception Pass, excluding the city of Oak Harbor.