Democrats, Republicans, announce caucus times

Island County Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for their party caucuses in which delegates are elected to the county convention and, ultimately, have a say in who becomes the next President of the United States.

Republicans

Republicans will be meeting to elect delegates to the county convention and to discuss the issues that concern all citizens on Feb. 9.

The only requirements to participate are that you must be registered to vote in Island County, you must declare you are a Republican and that you have not, and will not participate in a caucus of another party this year. Participants are encouraged to write up resolutions they want to see included in the platform. Contact your precinct committee officer for a questionnaire to prepare you for the discussions. Officers’ names and contact information can be found at www.islandcountyGOP.org.

Republican caucuses will be held at 1 p.m. Feb. 9 in the following locations:

North Whidbey: Oak Harbor Christian School on Whidbey Avenue between Highway 20 and Midway Blvd., for the following precincts:

Admiralty, Central, Coupeville 1-2, Coveland, Hastie Lake, Prairie, San de Fuca, Westview, Oak Harbor 1-15, Swantown, Highland, West Beach, Hillcrest, Ault, Silverlake, Polnell, Cornet, Soundview, Penn Cove, Countryside, Fort Nugent, Scenic Heights, and Dugualla.

South Whidbey: Trinity Lutheran Church, 18341 Highway 525, Freeland, for the following Precincts: Clinton, Lone Lake, Austin, Glendale, Possession, Freeland, Sandy Point, Bush Point, Greenbank, Maxwelton, Langley 1-2, Saratoga, Deer Lake, Lagoon Point, Useless Bay, and Double Bluff.

Camano Island: Camano Community Center located at 606 Arrowhead Road Camano Island, for the following precincts: Camano, Country Club, Driftwood, Livingston Bay, Mabana, Madrona, Maple Grove, Triangle Cove, Utsalady, and Point Allen.

The Republican County Convention will be held at Oak Harbor Christian School on March 22. For more information call 279-1179, or contact Kathy Jones, chair, Island County Republican Party, kathy@kjonesinc.com or 675-3030.

Democrats

Democrats in Island County will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 9 in four locations to express their preferences for a presidential candidate in their precinct caucuses. To participate, individuals must declare themselves to be Democrats and be registered or eligible to vote in the November 2008 election.

North Whidbey: North Whidbey Middle School in Oak Harbor, for the following precincts: Oak Harbor 1-15, Silver Lake, Soundview, Ault, Polnell, Hillcrest, Cornet, Highland, Dugualla, Countryside and Swantown.

Central Whidbey: Performing Arts Center in the Coupeville Middle/High School, for the following precincts: Bush Point, Greenbank, Central, Coveland, Coupeville 1-2, Hastie Lake, Penn Cove, West Beach, Lagoon Point, Admiralty, Prairie, San De Fuca, Scenic Heights, Fort Nugent and West View.

South Whidbey: At the South Whidbey High School in Langley for residents of these precincts: Freeland, Saratoga, Langley 1-2, Deer Lake, Glendale, Maxwelton, Austin, Lone Lake, Sandy Point, Clinton, Possession, Useless Bay, and Double Bluff.

Camano Island: Utsalady Elementary School for the following precincts: Country Club, Mabana, Camano, Maple Grove, Utsalady, Driftwood, Point Allen, Livingston Bay, Triangle Cove, and Madrona.

As well as voting for presidential candidates, those attending will elect delegates to the April 19 Island County Democratic Convention and Tenth Legislative District Caucus, and anyone who wishes may submit resolutions for consideration at the County Convention.

Voters who cannot attend the caucuses because of religious observance, military service or physical disability may vote absentee by submiting a Caucus Surrogate Affadavit Form to the Washington State Democratic Headquarters by 5 p.m. Feb. 1. This form and guidelines for submitting written resolutions along with contact information may be found at www.islandcountydemocrats.com.

For more information, contact Marshall Goldberg, Island County Democratic Chair, at mfgold@comcast.net, 360-675-5888.

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