Precinct

races

confusing

Due to Washington’s new “Top 2” primary system, six precincts in Island County had ties for the precinct committee officers election, with one case of five people tied at only one vote each.

In previous years, the “pick a party” or “blanket” primaries required a 10-percent vote threshold for a person to be an eligible candidate.

This year, that threshold was eliminated.

“Write-in candidates are becoming a problem,” said Michele Reagan, assistant administrator for the Island County Auditor’s Office.

Because of the ties, the Island County Auditor’s Office had to do a recount. They were required to sort through 26,000 ballots for the six precincts. Every name, regardless of its validity, must be processed.

Deputy Auditor Anne LaCour said the process took about 100 worker hours and cost the county $2,000.

“Write-ins are very common,” Reagan said. “People will write in fictional characters, family members, Hollywood actors. The problem is that whether the name is valid or not, it must be tracked, even if the name is Mickey Mouse. Because so help me, a Michael J. Mouse would step forward to complain if we did not process it.”

The Island County Canvassing Board met at 10 a.m. Friday to certify the results. The board drew ping pong balls from a bin to break ties for Austin, Glendale, Mabana, Utsalady, Countryside and Lone Lake precincts. Most ties were caused by two or three write-ins, or votes. No precinct candidates were present.

Island County Commissioner John Dean pointed out that some of the elected precinct committee officers were unaware of their nomination. Dean recently met a man from Camano Island who voted for his brother-in-law as a joke.

“It’s frustrating, going round and round in circles on this, and the person probably doesn’t even want to serve,” Dean said.

Reagan said there is little wiggle room in these cases.

“Even if we suspect that the write-in was a family member based on the last name, the law says we can’t make any judgements. Our job is to tabulate names,” Reagan said.

In previous primaries, if none of the candidates met the 10 percent threshold, an officer was appointed. Precinct committee officers are a function of the political parties, not an extension of the government.

“The precinct committee officers are considered the arm of the Democratic or Republican party at the grassroots level,” Marshall Goldberg, chairman of the Island County Democrats, said. “They participate in local events, raise funds and can appoint officers at a biannual meeting. They also serve a two-year term.”

If a resident was elected by mistake, they do not have the option to simply drop out of the race. They must contact the party chair, Dean said.

“I’ll request written confirmation from each of the officers that they’re interested in serving and I’ll also need it in writing if they don’t want to serve. If they have no desire, the position will be unfilled as far as I’m concerned,” Goldberg said. “A new officer would be appointed.”

The multiple precinct committee officer ties are not unique to Island County. Reagan said 25 precincts in Clark County required a recount as did 48 precincts in Snohomish.

“This is happening in every county in Washington,” she said.

Goldberg said this situation is upsetting and unacceptable.

“It’s frustrating that real people are being taken advantage of,” he said.