Voters in Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Brier, Woodway and the rest of Snohomish County will vote on four judicial positions on the Aug. 7 primary ballot, with the primary to determine the winner of at least two contests.
That’s because of the special rules governing judicial elections in Washington.
The one Snohomish County Superior Court position on the ballot matches Jack Follis, of Mill Creek, and Fire District 1 Commissioner Millie Judge for the position that Judge Larry McKeeman now holds, with a candidate who gets a majority winning without running in the Nov. 7 general election.
The other 14 positions have only one candidate each, meaning that those candidates win the positions without an election, according to state law on elections for superior courts in counties with more than 100,000 people.
The primary ballot also has three state Supreme Court positions, but those elections have different rules. All appear on both the primary and general-election ballots whatever the number of candidates.
One Supreme Court position has two candidates, meaning that one candidate probably will get a majority and appear unopposed on the November ballot. The other two positions have three and four candidates. If any candidate gets a majority, he or she will appear unopposed in November. If no one gets a majority, the top two vote getters will appear on the November ballot.
The two-way state Supreme Court contest matches appointed incumbent Justice Steve Gonzalez and Seattle attorney Bruce O. Danielson.
The three-way race involves two-term incumbent Justice Susan Owens, Seattle attorney Douglas W. McQuaid and Arlington attorney Scott Stafne.
The four-way race includes former Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders, King County Superior Court Judge Bruce Hilyer, trial and appellate lawyer Sheryl Gordon McCloud, and former Pierce County prosecuting attorney and County Executive John W. Ladenburg.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.