Jefferson County election workers started Election Day with ballots in hand from nearly 60 percent of the county's eligible voters.

Through 5 p.m. Monday, a total of 16,484 ballots from Jefferson County voters had been returned for counting, according to the Washington Secretary of State's Election Division.

That number represents 59.84 percent of the county's registered voters. It is also the highest turnout reported so far in any county in Washington state. Lincoln County is second in turnout through Monday, with 58.93 percent of ballots returned.

Voting continues until 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Initial results from the 2022 General Election will be posted on ptleader.com after unofficial results are released by the Jefferson County Elections Division.

Not all of the ballots received by Jefferson County through Election Day will be counted Tuesday night.

Through Monday, a total of 234 ballots have been challenged and are subject to further review. That number represents 1.42 percent of ballots cast.

Statewide, a total of 1.8 million ballots have been returned for counting, or 38.9 percent of the number of voters eligible to vote.

Ballots were mailed to local voters Oct. 19.

Fitting with previous elections, the greatest number of ballots returned on a single day was the Monday before the general election.

History held true for this year's general election. A total of 2,414 ballots were returned for counting in Jefferson County on Monday, Nov. 7.