As their ballots arrive in the mail, many Shoreline and Lake Forest Park voters will find no candidates for either Democratic precinct committee officer or Republican PCO and some will find no candidates for either.
If you find either no Democrat or no Republican PCO candidate in your precinct, you can fill the void by filing as a registered write-in candidate.
Call the county elections department (206-296-1565), or find a declaration of candidacy form on the county elections Web site (www.kingcounty.gov/elections) and submit it with your Republican or Democratic affiliation and a $1 fee; then write your name in for the office and get another vote or two if you can.
If you’re the only candidate in your precinct, one vote could get you elected and give you a chance to influence legislative district and county party policies, and, through them, state party policy.
Elections officials count write-in votes for partisan offices only for registered candidates.
There’s no longer a minimum number of votes required for winning. In the past, the minimum was based on a percentage of the votes cast for the leading Republican or Democratic vote getter in the precinct, but with our new voting system, that’s no longer true.
We read lots of complaints about the political parties. Here’s a chance to have them hear your voice.
Election of judges is really confusing
I wrote a few weeks ago about the confusing way that we elect judges in Washington. It turns out that it’s even more confusing than I thought.
I said that any candidate for the state Supreme Court or court of appeals who gets a majority of the primary vote appears alone on the November ballot, meaning that, when there are two candidates, the primary essentially decides the election. I was right.
I said that elections for King County Superior Court were the same. I was wrong.
In the elections for the 46 positions that have only one candidate, that candidate will win without appearing on the ballot unless someone files as a registered write-in candidate in time for the general election.
In the four spots with two candidates, both candidates appear on the primary ballot, with a candidate who gets a majority winning without appearing on the general election ballot. A loser in the primary can’t register as a write-in candidate for the general election.
In the two positions with three candidates and the one with four, the top two qualify for the general election unless one candidate gets a majority.
Why this strange system?
A bill in the 2007 Legislature would have made a change in the way we elect Supreme Court and appeals court justices, but it died in committee.
Registration deadline for primary election
Monday, Aug. 4, is the absolute deadline for registering to vote in the Aug. 16 primary election.
Only new Washington voters can register between 15 and 30 days before the election, and they must do it in person, either at the King County elections office in Renton or at a county service center like the one in Bothell.
Evan Smith is Enterprise forum editor. Send comments to him at entopinion@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
