News
King County Won't Let Candidates Update Voter Statements
As a cost-saving measure, King County Elections will no longer allow candidates to update their voters' guide statements for the general election except to update contact information. That means that (non-city of Seattle) candidates who make it from the primary to the general won't have the opportunity to revise their candidate statements to reflect new campaign issues or endorsements. The change will impact candidates for Seattle School Board races, as well as King County Council and Port of Seattle. (City of Seattle candidates file their voter guide statements with the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, and won't be impacted by the change).
The change may be most detrimental to candidate who are challenging incumbents, many of whom have racked up major endorsements since the filing deadline for the general-election guide. For example, Democrat Richard Mitchell---running against Republican King County Council Position 6 incumbent Jane Hague---has been endorsed by the Seattle Times, Washington Conservation Voters, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Teamsters, and the Machinists. All those endorsements came after the primary, and can't be included in the voters' guide.
Similarly, none of the four Seattle school board challengers will be able to report post-primary election endorsements.
Those challengers are: Sharon Peaslee, running against incumbent Peter Maier, (endorsed by four district Democratic groups, the Metropolitan Democrats and the National Women's Political Caucus); Michelle Buetow, running against incumbent Harium Martin Morris (endorsed by four district Democratic groups, the King County Young Democrats and the King County Democrats); Kate Martin, running against incumbent Sherry Carr, (endorsed by the Metropolitan Democratic Club, two District Democratic groups, and the King County Democrats); and Marty McLaren, running against incumbent Steve Sundquist, (endorsed by the Seattle Education Association, three District Democratic groups, the King County Democrats, and the National Women's Political Caucus.)
Additionally, the Seattle Education Association just gave Sundquist a vote of "no confidence"---another potentially relevant point that will not be in the voter pamphlet.
The change may be most detrimental to candidate who are challenging incumbents, many of whom have racked up major endorsements since the filing deadline for the general-election guide. For example, Democrat Richard Mitchell---running against Republican King County Council Position 6 incumbent Jane Hague---has been endorsed by the Seattle Times, Washington Conservation Voters, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Teamsters, and the Machinists. All those endorsements came after the primary, and can't be included in the voters' guide.
Similarly, none of the four Seattle school board challengers will be able to report post-primary election endorsements.
Those challengers are: Sharon Peaslee, running against incumbent Peter Maier, (endorsed by four district Democratic groups, the Metropolitan Democrats and the National Women's Political Caucus); Michelle Buetow, running against incumbent Harium Martin Morris (endorsed by four district Democratic groups, the King County Young Democrats and the King County Democrats); Kate Martin, running against incumbent Sherry Carr, (endorsed by the Metropolitan Democratic Club, two District Democratic groups, and the King County Democrats); and Marty McLaren, running against incumbent Steve Sundquist, (endorsed by the Seattle Education Association, three District Democratic groups, the King County Democrats, and the National Women's Political Caucus.)
Additionally, the Seattle Education Association just gave Sundquist a vote of "no confidence"---another potentially relevant point that will not be in the voter pamphlet.
