It is contrary to common sense that the number of registered voters is down a bit in Island County this year at a time when interest in the presidential election is extraordinarily high. But there is more to the story than just the numbers.

Since the debacle of the 2004 gubernatorial election in this state, in which the votes of the deceased and imprisoned were counted in King County, the Washington Secretary of State’s Office has led an effort to clean up the voter rolls.

Since then approximately 160,000 voters statewide have had their names removed from the rolls. These included a few deceased individuals and some convicted felons, but the vast majority were simply people who had moved out of their previous precinct. No longer are those people receiving ballots mailed out by two or more counties. Local auditor’s offices have by and large tracked them down and made sure their old residences no longer receive a mailed ballot. This cleans up the voter rolls and helps restore confidence in the election process. It also decreases the number of registered voters in some jurisdictions, but it doesn’t mean those people aren’t voting. It just means they’re voting where they’re supposed to be voting.

Island County’s voter registration rolls are a purer product because of the concerted effort to cull the names of people who no longer live here, and those who have not voted in a long time. Inactive voters need to re-register periodically to make sure they still exist. In fact, if you haven’t voted in the last two federal elections and want to vote in the presidential election in November, you’d better re-register.

Registration at the Island County Auditor’s Office does indeed reflect the genuine interest in this election, as more than 2,000 new voters have registered since the August primary. It is important to vote in the Nov. 4 election and there’s still time to register or, if needed, re-register. The deadline is Monday, Oct. 20. You must go in person to the Auditor’s Office in Coupeville. For information call 679-7366.