This Washington county has predicted the president longer than anywhere else

By Rachel Treisman

Published November 5, 2024 at 11:00 PM EST

A school bus drives down the main road on a foggy morning in Forks, Washington in Clallam County last month.

There were 19 places in the U.S. that voted for the winner of every presidential election from 1980 to 2016.

All but one of them broke the streak in 2020 by voting for Trump. The only one left is Clallam County in the northwestern corner of Washington state. Washington's polls close at 11p.m. ET.

Clallam County is home to less than 80,000 residents, and mostly mountains and forest. It's one other major claim to fame is that it's the site of Forks, home of the vampires in the beloved Twilight series. It's not in —or near — a swing state, nor is it demographically representative of the country: It's whiter, older and more homeowner-heavy.

So what might explain its predictive presidential powers, and which way is the county leaning this year? Follow Clallum County results from AP here.

It's complicated, as KUOW's Scott Greenstone reports.