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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, May 18, 2008 Ticket fillers are no longer required They are known as ticket fillers and party files and most wind up political roadkill. They are the people the Republican and Democratic parties handpick as candidates when no others step forward. This unique power bestowed upon the parties is intended to ensure opposition -- though not necessarily competition -- in partisan races. In instances when only a Democrat or Republican signs up in the scheduled filing period, the other party is given extra days to round up a foe. Will Baker is among the most infamous of these chosen ones. In 2004, state Republican Party leaders wrote in Baker's name as a challenger to incumbent Democratic state Auditor Brian Sonntag. Regret came quickly as they learned Mr. Baker's political exploits in Pierce County amounted to harassing politicians and getting jailed as a consequence. Barred from erasing Baker from the ballot, GOP officials were not unhappy he lost by a whole lot. In 1994 in Snohomish County, Republican Jim Krider pulled off a rare feat as a party file by winning. He unseated incumbent Democratic Prosecuting Attorney Seth Dawson. "We felt we should at least give the voters an alternative and apparently they wanted one," recalled Paul Elvig, who was chairman of the county GOP. In 2008, there will be no ticket fillers. The practice is gone, a casualty of the marathon battle on the conduct of primary elections. State officials say because the top-two primary is not a nominating process for the parties, they are not entitled to designate candidates as in the past. It's ironic. Democratic and Republican parties have spent many years and untold sums trying to wrest control of the primary from the electorate only to lose this unique ability to guarantee they get somebody on the ballot in every partisan race. This leaves parties with precious little time to recruit willing souls, at least living and breathing ones, to voluntarily enter the velodrome of the 2008 election. Two weeks from tomorrow, the flag goes up on the traditional filing period. Five days later it comes down. Right now, several state legislators in Snohomish County are quietly rooting against the parties as they are poised to win re-election without a fight. Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, is getting a free ride again in the 39th Legislative District. Democrats cannot find him an opponent for the second straight election. Reps. Mike Sells, D-Everett, and John McCoy, D-Tulalip, also are looking at no challengers. This would make two unopposed elections in a row for Sells and the first for McCoy. Republicans also may wind up forfeiting against Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish. In a bit of good news, Dennis Richter of Bothell decided to run as the GOP challenger to incumbent state Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell. * He's no ticket filler, officially, but he may end up a sacrificial lamb, regardless. *Correction, May 19, 2008: This article originally misstated that Dennis Richter was recruited to run by the Republican party. Political reporter Jerry Cornfield's blog, The Petri Dish, is at www.heraldnet.com. He can be heard at 8 a.m. Mondays on the Morning Show on KSER 90.7 FM. Contact him at 360-352-8623 or jcornfieldheraldnet.com.

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