By Dee Camp
Chronicle staff

     Okanogan County voters bucked the national trend and picked Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin for president and vice president over Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the Nov. 4 general election.
     But nationally, major news organizations declared Obama and Biden the winners, and McCain congratulated Obama on his victory. According to network and online projections around 9 p.m. Pacific time, Obama garnered 333 electoral votes to McCain's 155.
     A candidate needs 270 to win.
     In unofficial election night returns, Okanogan County voters cast 5,100 ballots for McCain and 4,736 for Obama, for a 50.19 percent margin to McCain. Statewide, Obama was leading with about 52-53 percent of the vote as of 9 p.m.
     On the local level, incumbent Republican Andrew Lampe was ahead in his bid for re-election to the Okanogan County commission, according to election night returns from the county auditor's office.
     Lampe had 4,509 votes, or 54.89 percent, to challenger Larry Campbell's 3,578 votes, or 43.55 percent. There were 128 write-in votes cast.
     Campbell also is a Republican.
     In the race for governor, Republican Dino Rossi garnered 5,907 votes from Okanogan County residents to Democratic incumbent Christine Gregoire's 4,125, according to election night returns.
     Statewide, Rossi was leading with 51.4 percent of the vote as of about 9 p.m. election night.
     In the race for commissioner of public lands, Okanogan rancher Peter Goldmark received 46.72 percent of the vote statewide to incumbent Doug Sutherland's 53.28 percent, according to election night returns from the Office of the Secretary of State.
     But Goldmark was leading in his home county on election night, 4,988 to Sutherland's 4,764, or 51.14 percent to 48.75 percent.
     The 7th District race for state House of Representative between Shelly Short and Sue Lani Madsen saw Short leading in Okanogan County, 3,332 to 1,580, or 67.03 percent to 31.78 percent.
     District-wide, Short received 57.2 percent of the vote election night to Madsen's 42.8 percent. Both are Republicans.
     In the 12th District, incumbent Republican Mike Armstrong received 1,696 votes in Okanogan County to challenger Courtney Cox's 1,590. District-wide, Armstrong led on election night 55.89 percent to Cox's 44.11 percent.
     Cox also is a Republican.
     In local ballot issues, 78 voters in the Wauconda area favored annexing to the Ferry County PUD area, which serves them, and 18 said no.
     As of election night, Fire District No. 6 (Methow Valley) voters were saying to a $5 million bond issue to acquire land and construct a new fire station in Winthrop and improve existing fire stations, 687 votes to 667.
     A levy request in Fire District No. 15 (south county) received 342 yes votes and 187 no votes for a 64.65 percent passing rate. The money, to be collected at about 47 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, would support emergency medical services in the district.
     Voters in that district also want to increase the number of fire commissioners from three to five. The measure received 300 yes voters and 204 no votes as of election night.
     According to the auditor's office, 10,249 ballots had been returned county-wide as of Oct. 30 and were counted election night. Another 6,300 ballots had been returned as of election day but were not included in the election night count.
     Another 10,313 ballots were outstanding as of election day.
     The next count will be Friday, Nov. 7. The election will be certified Nov. 25, according to the auditor's office.
     Voter turnout in Okanogan County on the initial count was 49.78 percent.
     A roundup of election returns is available at http://www.omakchronicle.com/nws/elections.shtml.