Shoreline Parks Bond fails to validate - so measure fails by 122 votes

Parks (in red) would have been in the new bond issue. Parks (in orange) in the previous bond.

Shoreline voters showed strong support for Proposition 1, a park bond levy for park improvements and park land acquisitions.

Over 72% of those casting ballots approved the measure, well above the 60% vote required for passage.

However, the number of valid votes cast fell short of the mark by 122 ballots.

State law also requires that for a bond measure to ‘validate,’ at least 40% of the number of votes cast in the previous general election, which was in November 2020, need to be cast in the election in question.

This election needed 14,092 valid ballots. The certified election results show 13,970 votes cast, 122 votes short of the amount needed for validation.

You can see below the votes required and those received:

As you can see, the biggest issue is that over 21,000 people who voted in November didn't bother to vote in April. 

When you drill down to individual ballots: some people didn't sign their ballots, needed to verify their signatures, got late to the drop box, or even left their ballots on top of the drop boxes after the deadline.

Passage of Proposition 1 would have authorized improvements to eight parks and the acquisition and improvement of new park land.

Betsy Robertson, Chair of Shoreline Parks For All, worked until the last possible second, trying to contact the voters who needed to verify their signatures.

I’ve been keeping a low profile as I come to terms with, and mourn, the results of our April special election. We knew there would be overwhelming support, but a 72% YES vote exceeded expectations! 💚 Thank you.

 
The challenge was always going to be turnout.

I’m crushed... but not giving up.

 
I hope we get a chance to vote on this again. I hope the folks who simply forgot or couldn’t be bothered to participate will realize how much their voice actually matters and could have made the difference.

 
I hope the people I bird-dogged over the last month will forgive me and recognize how important every last reminder to turn in ballots and every effort to spread the word was needed. And I wish I had done even more.

 
The small but mighty group that made up our campaign did Herculean work. I will be honored to work with them again. WHEN... not if... we have the opportunity to advocate for parks in Shoreline again.

On June 14, 2021, the Shoreline City Council will discuss whether to place the bond measure on a future ballot.