With election certified, it's on to November

With certification on Aug. 21, the results of Spokane County’s Aug. 7 primary become official and with it a more endorsed beginning to the races slated for November’s General Election.

With elections in even-numbered years dealing only with federal and state offices along with any state-wide initiatives, voters on the West Plains may have to get these candidates to address concerns more localized to their respective communities, rather than larger regional and state issues.

The only local initiatives — emergency medical services levies in Cheney and Medical Lake — received overwhelming voter endorsement in the August election. Both marked Proposition 1, Cheney’s passed with 82.61 percent while Medical Lake’s was also extended for another six years by 70.31 percent.

Outside of state initiatives and a senatorial race, the office likely to attract the most attention regionally is the 5th District congressional race against Republican incumbent Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Democratic challenger Lisa Brown. McMorris Rodgers, in her closest reelection campaign to date, received 49.29 percent of the vote to Brown’s 45.36 district wide. However, Brown edged McMorris Rodgers in Spokane County, 48.46 percent to 46.70 percent.

Another race of interest is the battle for the county commissioner District 3 seat that encompasses the West Plains, southwest city of Spokane and southwest Spokane County. That race pits incumbent Al French against political newcomer Robbi Katherine Anthony.

Anthony, a Democrat, out-polled French, a Republican seeking his third term, in the primary 23,032 – 18,726 or 54.94 percent to 44.69 percent. That result was among voters in District 3 only.

In November, voters countywide will weigh in — an aspect of the commissioner election process that has benefited French. In 2010’s primary he was second to then-incumbent Bonnie Mager and in 2014 edged Mary Lou Johnson (36.75 – 35.99 percent) in August.

In both cases, French went on to win in November, beating Johnson by over 9 percentage points and Mager by 1.56 points.

This will be the last time, however, that candidates in the District 3 slot will be able to turn to county voters to get elected. On March 28, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed Senate House Bill 2887, changing commissioner elections in noncharter counties.

Beginning in 2022, these counties with populations of 400,000 or more must provided district-based general elections “where voters within each commissioner district elect the commissioner from their district.” The new law also requires these counties to expand their commissions to five members.

Spokane County currently has three commissioners, and voters rejected a similar expansion idea in 2015 by 55.25 percent. French told audience members at a Feb. 21 West Plains Chamber of Commerce breakfast at Cheney’s Holiday Inn Express that the bill is specifically targeted at Spokane County, and was sponsored by six local representatives that included Jeff Holy and Mike Volz from the 6th District, which includes much of French’s district.

“Four of those six want to be county commissioner,” French added.

If either Holy or Volz are seeking a commissioner seat it isn’t right away. Both Republicans are locked in competitive races in the 6th District —Volz to retain his representative position 1 seat and Holy to replace former state senator Mike Baumgartner, who is running against Democrat David Green for county treasurer.

Holy, from Cheney, held a fair lead in primary voting over Democratic challenger Jessa Lewis, 52.16 – 47.73 percent, while Volz barely edged Kay Murano, 50.18 – 49.66 percent. In the race to replace Holy at representative position 1, Democrat Dave Wilson emerged on top of a four-candidate field with 40 percent of the vote, with Republican Jenny Graham also moving to the general with 33.31 percent.

What might be the biggest take-away from August’s primary wasn’t necessarily the candidates who advanced, but the number of voters who helped them along. Turnout in Spokane County topped 46 percent, the largest since 2008 when 42 percent turned out.

Locally, that broke down to turnouts of 41.66 percent in Cheney, 42.30 percent in Medical Lake, 46.39 percent in county commissioner District 3 and a whopping 50.06 percent in state legislative District 6.

“Turnout was exceptional for a primary election,” Spokane County Auditor Vicki Dalton said. “The factors that contributed to the increased turnout are prepaid postage and a very hot congressional race.”

In June, Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced that through an agreement with the governor’s office, $1.2 million would be provided to cover the “cost of counties statewide providing the same postage-paid ballot return envelopes that the King County Council voted in May to send to voters there.” Dalton said her office expected this move to increase turnout by 5-7 percent.

“While prepaid postage is being covered by a state grant for the primary and general this year, the local jurisdictions will have to pay their proportionate share in future elections,” she said. “We estimate this will increase their election costs by 10 percent to 15 percent.”

Some local voters complained about the lack of a printed voters pamphlet for the primary, forcing them to go to libraries to read the online guide. Secretary of State Communications Director Erich Ebel said there is no requirement for counties to print and mail a pamphlet for a primary, with some choosing to do so while others, such as Spokane, do so only during the general election when a state issue or race is on the ballot.

The law does require printing and mailing of a voters pamphlet during the general.

“Some counties partner with us on printing a combined state and local pamphlet,” Ebel said. “Others print and mail their own local pamphlet in addition to the one we send.”

Dalton said the county’s pamphlet will be mailed just before ballots are mailed in mid-October. She added local races do not appear in the General Election due to cost.

“Estimates for providing a local paper voters pamphlet mailed to each household exceed $80,000 in the years when cities, towns, fire districts and school districts elect their councils and boards,” Dalton said. “Each jurisdiction pays their proportionate share of election costs and would have to pay for the voters pamphlet.”

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].