If an envelope from Snohomish County lands in your mailbox in the next couple of days, don’t push it aside. If you’re signed up to vote by mail, chances are it’s your absentee ballot for this year’s primary election.
Only a few races are being contested in the Sept. 20 primary this year, but they include some big ones. Democrats have races in two County Council districts, District 1 in north county and District 5 in east county. The winner of each will advance to the general election in November.
Three candidates are trying to unseat the incumbent mayor in Lynnwood, and three hopefuls are running for an open seat on the Everett Port Commission. If you live in the City of Snohomish, you’ve hit primary election paydirt. Three candidates filed for each of the four City Council seats up for election this year, and the top two in each race will be on the November ballot.
In Marysville, there’s a critical school bond issue on the primary ballot. It’s a second chance for the $170 million measure that barely missed getting the required 60 percent approval earlier this year. The rapidly growing district hasn’t approved a bond issue in 15 years, the longest dry spell in the county. This one would build a new high school and make major upgrades to the current one, add a new elementary school and replace two aging ones, and make other improvements to schools across the district. It’s a well-planned, much-needed measure that deserves support.
Primary ballots must be postmarked by election day, Sept. 20.
Before that deadline, The Herald’s editorial board will make recommendations in most of the contested primary races. Those recommendations, based on candidate interviews and other research, are intended to give readers another piece of information as they make their voting decisions.
Your voice is important to the election process, too. Consider sharing your viewpoint by sending a letter to the editor for possible publication, using one of the methods listed in the box below the cartoon on this page. As we receive enough election letters to fill most of a page, we’ll run them together so readers can compare different points of view in one sitting.
The races on the primary ballot may be few, but they’re important. The choices voters make in these local elections will affect daily life in this county for years to come. Remember to cast your vote, and take the time to make it an informed one.
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