Voters need to register for primary election

Superior court race, parks and recreation levies to be decided

Ballots for the upcoming primary election are being sent out to registered voters on July 20. All voters must be registered by July 9 to vote in the August 7 primary election.

First time voters have until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, July 30, to register in person at the Auditor’s Office for the August primary.

Adams County is a vote-by-mail county and all ballots must be returned by mail or dropped off at the Auditor’s Office.

Heidi Hunt is in charge of elections at the Adams County Auditor’s Office and strongly encourages voters to register or update their current information. Hunt mentioned that any individual who has moved should update their voter registration to ensure the ballot they receive is relevant to their current location.

This year, voters can register online and Hunt believes this benefits a significant amount of voters as it provides them with a simple, quick method to register as a voter in Adams County.

The August 7 primary election ballot includes Federal offices, Washington State offices, Legislative District 9, Adams County commissioners, judicial offices, and Proposition No. 1.

Federal offices for election are U.S. Senator position for a six-year term and the U.S. Representative office for a two-year term. Candidates for the U.S. Senator office are Republicans Chuck Jackson, Michael Baumgartner, Art Coday, Mike the Mover and Glen (Stocky) Stockwell. Democratic candidates are Maria Cantwell and Timmy (Doc) Wilson, while Will Baker is a candidate for the Reform party.

U.S. Representative candidates for Congressional District 4 are Republicans Doc Hastings and Jamie Wheeler, and Democrats Mary Baechler and Mohammad Said.

Washington state offices that are present on the upcoming primary election ballot all four-year terms. The offices include governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, attorney general, commissioner of public lands, superintendent of public instruction – nonpartisan office, and insurance commissioner.

The Legislative District 9 offices on the ballot are state senator for a four-year term; state representative position 1 and state representative position 2, both are two-year terms. All of the candidates have filed for reelection in these positions and are State Senator Mark Schoesler, State Representative Position 1 Susan Fagan and State Representative Position 2 Joe Schmick.

Adams County Commissioner District 1 and 2 positions are for a four-year term. Commissioner district 1 candidates are Rudy Plager, Donald Gentry and John Marshall. Commissioner district 2 applicants are Roger Hartwig and Oscar Garza.

“In the primary election, the commissioners are only listed on their district’s ballots,” Hunt explained. “The district votes in the primary and the top two vote getters go to the general election.”

Hunt again emphasized how important it is that voters update their registration because only voters who live in commissioner district 1 and 2 have the opportunity to vote for a commissioner in the primary.

Judicial offices listed on the ballot are six-year terms for Justice Position 2, Justice Position 8, Justice Position 6 and a four-year term for the Adams County Superior Court Judge. Brian Miller and Randy Flyckt have filed for positions as superior court judge.

“The superior court judge position will be decided in the primary,” Hunt said. “The candidate who receives the majority of votes will receive a certificate of election and they won’t appear in the general election.”

Several local levies have been included on the ballot by: Adams County Park and Recreation District No. 2 in Washtucna, Adams County Park and Recreation District No. 3 in Lind, Adams County Park and Recreation District No. 4 in Ritzville and Adams County Cemetery District No. 1 in Washtucna. All are being run as a Maintenance and Operation (M&O) levy.

Each of the M&O levies are either the same amount as previous years or have been slightly increased to meet demand of the areas, according to Hunt. All of the levies are decided through the primary, either being approved or rejected, and if rejected, there is still a chance to reapply.

To register to vote, individuals can do so online, through the mail and also can update or transfer information by contacting the Adams County Auditor’s Office at 210 West Broadway Avenue or by phone at 659-3249.

Voters can register online at http://vote.wa.gov or can receive more information about elections and voting process at the Auditor’s website at http://co.adams.wa.us. Election ballots, registration forms and voting assistance are also available at the Auditor’s office.

If a voter does not receive a ballot in the mail after the ballots are sent on July 20, contact the Auditor’s Office for a replacement ballot.