Lynnwood City Council candidate Douglas Jones still is on the Aug. 4 primary-election ballot, even though he says he won’t campaign.
He also could end up on the Nov. 3 general-election ballot if he places first or second in the primary.
Jones said in early June that he had suspended his campaign for the office, but that his name still would appear on the ballot because he made the decision too late to withdraw his name. It also was too late to remove his statement from the local voters’ pamphlet.
The deadline for candidates to withdraw their names from the primary ballot was May 18, the Monday following the May 11-15 filing week. The voters’ pamphlet deadline was May 29.
Elections officials need to get ballots ready right after filing week because they need to meet the deadline for sending them to military and overseas voters.
Jones is on the primary ballot against incumbent Councilman Benjamin Goodwin and challenger Chris Frizzell. The primary will narrow the field to two for the general election. That probably means that Goodwin and Frizzell will advance to November, but if Jones places first or second in the primary, his name will be on the general-election ballot whether he wants it there or not because state law doesn’t allow him to withdraw.
He then would need to either hope that he loses in November or plan on resigning after he wins the election.
If the Lynnwood position had only two candidates, it would have appeared only on the November ballot.
Still having the office on Lynnwood ballots doesn’t cost money.
Snohomish County Elections Director Garth Fell said recently that an extra position on the ballot costs money only if it forces the county either to print an extra ballot page or to send ballots to people who otherwise wouldn’t get them.
Lynnwood ballots not only have the position with Jones’ name but also another city council position, a school-board position, a county council position and the county executive’s position; all easily fit on one side of one page.
The suggestion that Jones could qualify for the general election seems farfetched, but something like it could happen in King County, where incumbent Seattle Port Commissioner Courtney Gregoire faces one candidate who isn’t campaigning and perennial losing candidate Goodspaceguy. Enough voters still may feel angry about Gregoire’s mother’s disputed 2004 election for governor that they’ll vote against anyone named Gregoire, even if it means sending a non-candidate to the general-election ballot.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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