November has arrived– and with it ballots. One of the difficulties in these odd year elections is that so many races are nonpartisan. I always get a lot of phone calls during these elections asking for information or advice on how to vote. This year as LWVSC President I am committed to being nonpartisan as the position requires. But I feel like there is still valuable advice to give that might be helpful to voters.
The Charter Review Commission, and local races for city council, water, fire and hospital district, and school board are always interesting in that a lot of people run, both people who are connected to parties and people who are not at all politically involved. It is an opportunity for many to start their political careers (a training ground for offices with more reach) and for others to give back to their communities with acquired wisdom. These positions make substantial decisions, even if you rarely hear about them.
That said, the parties often endorse and put out slates of candidates of like-minded individuals. Because of the range of individuals, some candidates do not know the process, and don't know how to ask for endorsements. Also, the timetable between registration and submitting a statement is often as short as a week, so latecomers cannot gather endorsements.
Here are some resources and information that you might find useful.
First, consult the
nonpartisan general voting guides, which do not endorse candidates, but give candidate-provided information and answers to questions. Here are some additional information resources.
Second, consider
party endorsements: I have included links here to the two major parties. If you rely on parties to determine your vote, these should be helpful.
- Snohomish County Democrats endorsements: all of the Snohomish County races are lumped together in no particular order, but there are nine Charter Review Candidates in that group. The Snohomish County races are right below the Judicial candidates.
- Snohomish County Republicans endorsements: this is a listing of all the candidates who filed for a race, with the endorsed candidates highlighted in yellow. All candidates for each position are grouped together.
Third, look to
news sources: Local newspapers often interview and write stories about candidates. Some endorse, some just give you information, but most do not go into the special district elections. Many newspaper editorial boards hold interviews with candidates.
- KUOW KUOW didn't endorse, but provided info that may be of interest on limited Everett and Lynnwood races
Fourth, hear what advocacy groups have to say. If you get legislative alerts from an organization it is likely they endorse candidates. Check your professional associations, your unions, the causes that you care about, and organizations you trust.
You should also should be on the lookout for slates of candidates. You may have already received one or you may receive one in the next week. This is why I often wait to fill in my ballot so that I get all the mailers and last-minute information.
I particularly want to remind you that each Snohomish County resident will be able to vote for three representatives to the Charter Review Commission. The Charter is the foundational document for County government, so this is important. And please note - the Secretary of State has issued a warning that Post Office changes mean that ballots aren't necessarily postmarked on the day they are sent. Therefore if you haven't put in the mail by now, you should make sure to put your ballot in a ballot box You can find Snohomish County ballot boxes here.
Happy Voting! And remember that November 3rd is Election Heroes Day, so if you see an election worker, thank them for helping us as we cast our ballots.