By The Herald Editorial Board
Thanks to the end of daylight saving time earlier this morning, you’ve got an extra hour to get things done today; unless you slept in, which, hey, who would blame you?
Either way, you’ve got time to complete your ballot and get it in to a ballot drop box or in the mailbox. More than a few of us have yet to get our ballots in; as of Friday morning only about 13.5 percent of more than 475,000 ballots sent to registered voters in the county had been received.
Below you’ll find a recap of The Herald Editorial Board’s recommendations for ballot measures and select races. Readers can review the full endorsement editorials for most issues and races at HeraldNet.com/opinion.
Grab your ballot, a blue or black pen, your state and local voters guides and vote.
Initiative 976: No
Perhaps the most consequential decision on the ballot regards Initiative 976, the Tim Eyman-sponsored initiative that would wipe out all but $30 of taxes and fees to renew vehicle license tabs.
Voters risk being duped by the false economy of Eyman’s initiative. While many could save hundreds of dollars on their annual tab renewals, what they stand to loose will saddle them with far greater costs — quite literally — down the road. If the initiative passes, those who depend on the transportation that connects their communities — in other words: everyone — will see declines, delays and loss of regular road maintenance, long-awaited construction projects, the extension of light rail and other transit projects and the jobs and basic livability that good statewide and local transportation systems provide.
As we recounted in our earlier editorial, I-976 would eliminate the weight fees that support basic road and bridge maintenance. It would zero out local governments’ use of transportation benefit district revenue to fund local transit and road maintenance, delaying that work, resulting in bad roads and greater vehicle repair and maintenance costs. It would likely delay major construction projects — such as work on Highway 9, U.S. 2 and elsewhere in the county — as state lawmakers and officials shift funding. And it will eliminate a significant portion of funding for Sound Transit’s Link light rail extension to Everett and elsewhere, delaying, if not canceling, its arrival here.
We again urge voters to reject I-976’s hidden costs and its threat to our state’s strong economy.
Referendum 88: Yes
R-88 would approve Initiative 1000, which would free up colleges and state and local governments to do more recruitment and outreach to women and minorities to increase diversity.
Snohomish County Advisory Proposition 1: Yes
This measure is a nonbinding advisory recommending a ban on the use of common fireworks in unincorporated areas of the county. The city of Arlington has a similar measure on the ballot.
Snohomish County Council
District 2:Megan Dunn, Democrat
District 3: Stephanie Wright, Democrat
Auditor: Garth Fell
Sheriff: Ty Trenary
Treasurer: Brian Sullivan
Snohomish County Superior Court
Position 7: Edirin Okoloko
Position 14: Paul W. Thompson
Cities
Edmonds Mayor: Neil Tibbott
Everett City Council
Position 4: Liz Vogeli
Position 5: Scott Bader
Lake Stevens Mayor: Kurt Hilt
Marysville Mayor: Jon Nehring
School Boards
Edmonds School District
District 1: Carin Chase
District 3: Rory Graves
District 5: Nancy Katims
Everett School District
District 1: Jamyang Dorjee Nhangkar
District 2: April Berg
Lake Stevens School District
District 1: David Iseminger
District 2: Paul Lund
Marysville School District
District 2: Paul Galovin
District 5: Tom Albright
Mukilteo School District
District 1: Mike Simmons
District 3: Kyle Kennedy
Port of Everett Commission
District 1: Bruce Fingarson
Ballot deadline: Ballots must be returned to county drop boxes or mailed and postmarked by Tuesday, Nov. 5. For a list of drop box locations go to tinyurl.com/SnoCoElexBallotDropBox. Ballots returned by mail do not need postage.
Correction: An earlier version of this list incorrectly identified the port commission that Bruce Fingarson is running for. He is running for the Port of Everett.
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