2 votes bedeviled candidates in 1990

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

Evan Jones waited out results chopping firewood.

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With her legislative race hanging by a mere two votes, Ann Goos found her solace in eating chocolate, followed by more chocolate.

Her opponent, and the ultimate winner of the race, Evan Jones, spent his days in limbo chopping firewood.

Today both can laugh at what has gone down in history as the "election from hell."

That 1990 state House race in the far corner of the Olympic Peninsula may be the closest partisan election in state history.

"Losing not just once, but very publicly a number of times, is not good for the waistline," said Goos. "Chocolate was my only solace."

When ballots were opened in the 24th District race, Jones won by five votes.

	Ann Goos: "I'll always be known as little loser girl."

But the recount put Goos, the Republican, ahead by five votes, so she headed to Olympia to win her committee assignments and meet with constituents.

Then the auditor of Clallam County found three unopened ballots, and the auditor of bordering Jefferson County also found two uncounted ballots.

At the time, the district included all or parts of Jefferson, Clallam and Grays Harbor counties.

Goos and Jones, with an army of Republican and Democratic party officers, went to the Clallam County Courthouse to watch the ballots being opened. Jones closed the gap.

While in Clallam County, Jones said, he walked into a grocery store and a clerk flipped him a coin. "This is my five cents for a recount," the clerk said, offering his contribution. Jones said he saved the nickel and framed it.

Then they went to Jefferson County, where it came down to the last ballot. If it had been for Goos, the race would have been tied and decided by a coin flip.

The vote went to Jones, the Democrat, giving him a two-vote victory from 32,000 ballots cast.

"He wins by two, and here I was, sobbing and eating chocolate," said Goos, who was a legislator for an entire two weeks before losing. "The worst thing is you have to lose several times in a very public way. I'll always be known as the little loser girl."

Jones, who was dubbed "Landslide Jones" and now teaches special education at Mount Vernon High School, said he was at peace during the recount. "I did everything I could do. I put everything into it," he said. "I spent a lot of time chopping firewood.

"It was the election from hell. The only ballot not counted was the one cast by Elvis Presley. They shook the boxes upside down and ballots fluttered out."

After he was elected, Jones went on to champion election reform, including the law that details what triggers a recount. He served one more term and then was defeated.

Goos and Jones have watched the tight governor's race with a little more than idle interest, since they lived through the uncertainty themselves.

Both hope the recount can avoid the drama they experienced.

"I'm not sure you can ever get to a final number," said Goos. "And I hope it doesn't switch during the recount." A statewide race has never been overturned in a recount.

Jones just wants it to be over. "You've got [state Republican chairman Chris] Vance blustering and [state Democratic chairman Paul] Berendt blubbering. Just quit the dramatics and count the bloody votes."

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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