Voter turnout creeps up; support for Paso Robles water district stays low

Final results are in, and the turnout in the Paso Robles groundwater management district election isn’t quite as dismal as initially reported.

According to the latest results posted Thursday on the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office website, approximately 65 percent of property owners voted on district formation (73 percent voted “no”) and 64 percent of registered voters cast ballots on the tax measure that would have funded the district (77 percent voted “no”).

Still not a great turnout, but at least it surpassed the 50 percent mark. That gives decision-makers a better indication of where Paso Robles basin residents stand on the issue of a locally controlled water district. (They don’t want one.)

We’re not inclined to take back all the brickbats we bestowed on nonvoters last week, but in the interest of accuracy, we’ll reduce the number by the increase in turnout — roughly 15 percent.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Voter turnout creeps up; support for Paso Robles water district stays low."