No party declaration required to vote on school measures, officials say

Published 11:21 pm Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Snohomish County education leaders worry that voters may pass on the Feb. 19 ballot because they don’t want to reveal whether they are a Democrat or Republican in the presidential primary.

With seven school districts asking for money, school officials say they’ve already gotten calls from people who said they would destroy their mail ballots when they arrive over the issue.

But school officials and a county elections manager say that people can vote on the school measures and one Mukilteo issue while leaving the presidential primary blank. That way, the voters won’t have to declare a party.

“I have heard people saying, ‘I’m not voting,’ ” Arlington School District Superintendent Linda Byrnes said. “It was a huge red flag. Every time I hear people say, ‘I’m not going to declare a party,’ I need to tell them they don’t have to.”

She worries that there could be a ballot backlash if voters don’t understand their options.

Arlington resident Jim Knight, 75, plans to skip the presidential primary on the front of his ballot and cast a vote on an Arlington School District school levy proposal on the back.

Had Knight not discussed his options with school officials, his ballot would have remained blank.

“My wife and I would have just chopped them up and put them in the recycling bin,” he said.

“I think a lot of people are very disgusted that a party affiliation has to be made,” he said. “It doesn’t seem reasonable. I think how I vote and who I vote for is my own business.”

Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine said some people may be deterred from voting if they feel they must declare their political affiliation. Still, Marine anticipates a large voter turnout, which he believes could more than offset the number of people who choose not to vote. Mukilteo has an advisory ballot on what the city should do with the Rosehill Community Center.

“I would think you’re going to get more people who will pick up the ballot and look at our issue, and the schools’ issue, because it is a presidential primary,” Marine said. “I’m hoping it will actually improve the turnout.”

The Feb. 19 election will be an all-mail ballot in Snohomish County. It will be the first time school levies will only need a 50 percent majority to pass. In November, the state’s electorate voted to drop a 60 percent supermajority requirement for school levies.

Ballots will be mailed to voters Jan. 31.

Arlington, Darrington, Granite Falls, Lakewood, Monroe and Stanwood-Camano school districts have maintenance and operation levies on the ballot. Several districts also have special levies for building improvements, technology and transportation.

Arlington leaders had lengthy discussions before choosing the February election date, knowing the presidential primary would be on the same ballot. It chose February, in part, because the large number of measures across the county in February lowers Arlington’s share of election costs, Byrnes said.

Lakewood School District Superintendent Larry Francois hopes any ballot confusion is cleared up.

“Washingtonians are traditionally very independent,” he said. “They like the person, not the party. Our hope is that even if people choose not to vote in the presidential primary, they will still choose to have their votes heard (on) local levy measures.”

John Russell, chairman of the pro-levy Citizens for Stanwood-Camano Schools, said the ballot confusion is a concern and his group is working to make sure voters understand they can vote on the school levy without declaring a political party.

“We have had a couple of presentations to groups and it surprised me that they reacted very strongly about the partisanship part,” Russell said. “I think it’s one more message that we will have to provide.”

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or e-mail stevick@heraldnet.com.