Reminder: Filing week starts tomorrow
OK candidates, listen up. Filing week starts tomorrow. Those of you who like the personal touch of filling out your forms and paying your fees in person can head down to your county elections office any time through Friday afternoon.
OK candidates, listen up. Filing week starts tomorrow. Those of you who like the personal touch of filling out your forms and paying your fees in person can head down to your county elections office any time through Friday afternoon.
Turn in your form, pay the fee – 1 percent of the annual salary for the position you desire – and qualify for a spot on the August primary ballot. Remember, there may be some special requirements for a particular position, such as length of residence inside the borders of the particular city or district you wish to elect you. Being eligible to vote is a pretty common one. Having a pulse is understood, even if it isn’t stated anywhere in the statutes ordinances or bylaws.
Most offices up for election this year are nonpartisan, like mayor, city or town councilmember, fire district commissioner, school board member or cemetery district commissioner.
Spokane County has one partisan race, for the 4th Legislative District Senate seat that became open early this year when longtime Sen. Bob McCaslin retired, and Valley businessman Jeff Baxter was appointed to the seat. Baxter is looking to be elected to fill out the final year of that term, and former Spokane County District Judge and State Rep. Mike Padden is also seeking the job.
Whoever wins would face election again in 2012.
They’re both Republicans, and no Democrat has yet surfaced in the strongly GOP district. Rep. Larry Crouse is endorsing Padden and Rep. Matt Shea is supporting Baxter, but Crouse said last week he didn’t see any friction developing: “All four of us are good friends.”
For prospective candidates on the fence, remember the rules change a little bit from one jurisdiction to the next. The City of Spokane has two citywide races, for mayor and council president, and one council race in each of its three districts.
The City of Spokane Valley has four council seats up for election, and the positions are elected citywide. Some school districts elect their boards district wide, while others have geographic districts. A candidate has to live in the district to be eligible to run, and some cities or districts have a minimum residency of a year.
Also remember that once you file, you can change your mind and drop out. But you won’t get your money back, and if you wait too long, your name will still be on the ballot.