You Owe this Civics Exercise to Yourself and Your Country
All politics start locally, but our patchwork system makes it far too easy to lose track of the local politics and governance. There is an important primary election coming up this August 2nd in Washington State. Ballots will be mailed out in just over a month (July 13th). The candidates were finalized three weeks ago, on May 20th. We need to pay attention.
While we are pre-occupied by media coverage of all things national and international, the war in Ukraine, the January 6th Hearings, inflation, etc., etc., local and state governance grinds on in relative obscurity. The workings of local governments and the actions of local politicians are much less well covered by the media—and, yet, what happens in local governance often affects us more than national events.
Local electoral orientation is made even harder for this year’s election due the boundary changes following our just completed national and local every-ten-year re-districting process. Here are some of the basics:
Secretary of State:
There is just one statewide office that is on the ballot this year: Washington State Secretary of State. Our former Secretary of State, Kim Wyman, stepped down to take a job with the federal administration in Washington, D.C. That requires that her appointed replacement stand for election at the next primary and general, that is, this year’s elections. Whoever wins will have to run again in 2024 at the end of what would have been Ms. Wyman’s 4 year term (along with other statewide office holders). That puts an unusual spotlight on this one state office in this year’s election.
Ms. Wyman was temporarily replaced by a WA State Senator (LD-44), a Mr. Hobbs. Mr. Hobbs was appointed to the position of Secretary State by Governor Inslee just seven months ago, in November, 2021. Perhaps Mr. Hobbs was a great legislator, but his managerial skills are not impressive. We are coming up on an important election. The essential voter information website, VoteWA.gov, administered by Mr. Hobbs and his staff, is not up-to-date. I want to know what precinct my address is in. That information is unavailable at the site. My school board members are inaccurately represented—in spite of pointing out this error more than three and a half months ago. A competent administrator would have been on top of this. Mr. Hobbs is facing an appropriate challenge for Secretary of State by the consummately qualified County Auditor from Pierce County, Julie Anderson. Make a note. We need a skilled administrator with experience as Secretary of State, not a career politician.
This Election in General:
All the other races on this year’s primary and general election ballots are U.S. federal government (the ten U.S. Representatives from WA State and Patty Murray’s U.S. Senate Seat), State Legislative, or County positions. (This is the general pattern for even-numbered election years. Municipal [e.g. City of Spokane], school board, and fire district elections are the main fare for elections in odd-numbered years.)
NEW Spokane County Commissioner Districts and Races:
County Commissioners in the State of Washington wield far more power over our daily lives and our communities than most of us understand. It is time we paid attention. In this election there are five new County Commissioner Districts, and from each of the five districts (as opposed to the previous three) a Spokane County Commissioner will be elected solely by the voters of that District. (Previously, according to state law, each of the three County Commissioners ran for office just in their district in the primary, but were elected by voters county-wide in the general election—a system that often produced a uniformly Republican Board of three County Commissioners.)
On top of that, this year, and this year only, all five County Commissioner Districts will elect a Commissioner. (Hereafter, the four year terms of office of the five Commissioners will be staggered, i.e. three of those elected, the ones elected this year in Districts 1, 3, and 5 will have to run again in 2024. The other two, Districts 2 and 4, will be up again in 2026.)
It’s time to sit up and take notice. The best way to figure out which new County Commissioner District a voter’s address is in is by visiting the campaign website of Amber Waldref, candidate for County Commissioner in District 2:
https://www.amberwaldref.com/news-1/find-your-county-commissioner-district
There I found this very useful map program created by a civic-minded individual who, as far as I can tell, remains anonymous. Thanks!:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Je3cvyxK2ffwbo-9qYZQWpL2nKM1rlhg&usp=sharing
Spokane County Commissioner Candidates (I’ve only listed the likely major contenders—if you want to see everyone who has filed click here.):
District 1 (W City of Spokane): Chris Jordan (D), Kim Plese (R)
District 2 (E City of Spokane): Amber Waldref (D), Michael Cathcart (R)
District 3 (N Spokane Valley & NE County): Josh Kerns (R)
District 4 (S Spokane Valley and SE County): Mary Kuney (R)
District 5 (SW South Hill and SW County): Maggie Yates (D) and Al French (R)
Jordan, Waldref, and Yates are three excellent Democratic candidates who, with proper support, could shift the balance of power on the Spokane County Commission away from the current stranglehold realtors and developers have maintained for more than a decade under the leadership of Al French. This is an historic opportunity.
Figure out which District you’re in, research the candidates, donate, get involved. Don’t wait until the ballot appears in your mailbox. If your residence is in District 3 or 4 there is nothing keeping you from lending your support to campaigns in other districts.
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry
P.S. I list only Mary Kuney in District 4 and Josh Kerns in District 3 because they are incumbent Commissioners with name recognition. Their only opponents are relatively unknown Republicans, who, as far as I can tell, don’t differentiate themselves much from the incumbents, at least on their campaign websites.