On the ballots this year we have same-sex domestic partnerships, a Tim Eyman libertarian tax initiative, a relatively contentious mayoral race, and a serious conservative contender for the King County Executive. Exciting stuff.

But so, far voters seem unimpressed.

“It’s all about the issues on the ballot and the media hype around specific candidates or ballot measures,” said Megan Coppersmith, spokeswoman for the King County Department of Elections. “We expected a 56 percent turnout county wide, but returns are coming in a little bit lower than we anticipated…consistently lower,”

The numbers, as of 8:00 last night, were 24.01 percent countywide and 24.48 percent in Seattle itself.

The department’s projected numbers aren’t that ambitious. Coppersmith says that the 2005 off-year mayoral election is the strongest point of comparison, when 53.76 percent of voters of voters turned out. But the 2005 election was a notoriously dull affair, featuring a popular incumbent and, in Josh’s words, Al Runte’s “quixotic [insurgent] campaign that stirred no one’s imagination.” (There was also poll balloting then.) In contrast, this year looks particularly exciting so 56 percent should be an easy hit.

(This year’s primary turnout was 31.56 percent, about two points higher than 2005).

Of course, this is only King County’s third purely mail-in ballot election, which means votes will still be trickling in over the next three days. “We’ll really have a better handle on whether we reached that 56 percent turnout later in the week,” Coppersmith said.