Voter Participation in Pierce County

Total voter turnout in Pierce County was very high in 2008 due to the presence of Barack Obama on the ballot. Partisan races had higher voter participation than non-partisan races. Contested races had higher voter participation than uncontested races. Since there were no uncontested Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) races, voter participation in partisan county level races increased from 2004 to 2008.

Partisan versus non-partisan races

In Pierce County, every statewide partisan race had higher voter participation than every statewide non-partisan race. At the county level, every partisan race had higher voter participation than every non-partisan race. This was particularly evident in the Assessor-Treasurer race which shifted from being partisan to non-partisan between 2004 and 2008. In the 2008 Assessor-Treasurer race, voter participation fell to a level between the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the judicial races.

It appears as if there are voters who will vote for a candidate simply based on the partisan affliation and who skip non-partisan races where they don't know the candidates.

Number of Candidates

In November 2004, there were five State Representative elections and two County Council elections in Pierce County which had just one candidate on the ballot. In November 2008, all of these races had two or three candidates on the November ballot. All of these races experienced significant increases in voter participation. This is not surprising since many voters skip uncontested races with just one candidate on the ballot.

In the 26th State Legislative District, there were three candidates on the ballot in each State Representative race in 2004. In 2008, there were only two candidates on the November ballot. Undervotes increased in these races.

In most of the statewide races, we saw an increase in undervotes from 2004 to 2008. We also saw most statewide and countywide races increase turnout as measured by percent of registered voters, but decrease as a percent of the presidential vote. One reason for this is the significant number of voters who just voted for President in 2008.

Another reason is the move to the Top 2 which restricts the numbers of candidates on the ballot in November. In 2004, there were at least three candidates on the ballot in most races. This appears to have allowed more voters to express their views.

Since there were no uncontested partisan RCV races, on average those partisan county level races moving to RCV experienced an increase in voter participation.

Conclusion

Voter participation is heavily driven by the excitement of a Presidential race. Down ballot partisan races experience higher voter participation than down ballot non-partisan races. Uncontested races generally do not experience high voter turnout. RCV generally has more candidates and fewer uncontested races. Eliminating the partisan/non-partisan and uncontested race effects, there was little difference in voter turnout between Top 2 and RCV elections in 2008.

McCarthy still leading County Executive race

Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy saw her lead shrink in the preliminary results published tonight, but the lead appears to be significant enough to hold up through further vote counting.

In the results published Tuesday night, McCarthy's lead over Pierce County Council member Shawn Bunney was 8507 votes after the allocation of Mike Lonergan and Calvin Goings' supporters' second choices. Tonight the lead had shrunk to 6695 votes. This represented a significant decline in the percentage lead, but Bunney will need stage a big swing in the remaining ballots to overcome McCarthy's 6695 vote lead.

McCarthy is still receiving more support from Lonergan and Goings supporters than Bunney. The big margin amongst Goings supporters was expected since both McCarthy and Goings are Democrats. Lonergan, though, tried to run as a Republican, but was rejected. One would have expected that Lonergan supporters would mostly be Republicans, but McCarthy and Goings were getting the majority of the second choices.

The schedule calls for these results to be updated again next Friday. Given the closeness of the race, it would be good if the Elections Department added a Monday or Tuesday update to this race.

Pierce County Republicans surge as Poll Votes Counted

Last evenings' posted preliminary results posted by the Pierce County Auditor's Office showed Republican percentages moving up in several close races around the county. The votes counted over the last couple of days represent mostly poll votes and it is unclear whether this surge will continue when the counting of the poll votes is complete and we move back to counting exclusively the late arriving mail-in ballots.

County Executive race tightens

In the Pierce County Executive race, Republican Pierce County Council member Shawn Bunney's lead in first choices has moved from just under 3% on election night to about 6 3/4% as of last night. This will likely result in a substantial narrowing of Democrat Pat McCarthy's lead in the RCV race.

In Tuesday night's tabulation of results, McCarthy picked up substantial second choices from Mike Lonergan and Calvin Goings supporters. Tomorrow night we will get another opportunity to see the RCV tabulation. It will be interesting to see if the poll supporters of Lonergan and Goings gave their second choices to McCarthy.

This analysis will be possible due to the release of a ballot image file with the poll ballots in the file. (As of Tuesday's listing the Auditor's office had only counted mail-in ballots received before Tuesday.)

This race appears to still be too close to call.

Close County Council races

In the open Pierce County Council, District #2 race, Republican Joyce McDonald saw her percentage of first choices rise to 47.64%. This is sufficiently close to 50%, it will make it difficult for Democrat Al Rose to catch her with second choices from Carolyn Merrival's supporters.

In Tuesday night's preliminary results posting, Republican incumbent Pierce County Council member Roger Bush (District #3) trailed his Democratic opponent Bruce Lachney by over a percentage point. As of last night's posting, Bush had pulled ahead by over 2 percent. This two-way race is still too close to call.

Meanwhile, Democrat Tim Farrell and Republican Dick Muri are cruising to easy re-election in their County Council races.

Assessor-Treasurer race too close to call

The nonpartisan Assessor-Treasurer's race is still way too close to call. Four candidates (Barbara Gelman, Dale Washam, Jan Shabro and Terry Lee) still have a shot at winning. This race will not be determined until at least a week from now.

Last night's tabulation appeared to only take about 30 minutes including the time for checking the results. It appears as if increasing the memory of the computers has substantially sped up the generation of results as compared to Tuesday night.

Pierce County Council preliminary results

In Pierce County, Council Districts 2,3 4, and 6 were up for election yesterday. In preliminary results, District #2 Councilmember Tim Farrell (D-Tacoma) and District #6 Councilmember Dick Muri (R-Steilacoom) are on their way to easy re-election.

In District #3, incumbent Councilmember Roger Bush (R-Graham) is trailing his challenger Bruce Lachney (D- Eatonville) by a small margin of just 138 votes (8959-8821). Many more votes need to be counted. This race is too close to call at this point.

In District #2, State Representative Joyce McDonald (R-Puyallup) is leading Al Rose (D-Puyallup) in her bid to move from the state legislature to the County Council. While this race is still too close to call, her big lead in first choice votes appears to be too large for Rose to overcome with Merrival supporters' second choices.

Historic Ranked Choice Voting Election in Pierce County

Pierce County voters are about to participate in an historic Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) election for county officials. Voters will have more choices and will be able to order their choices. Voters will be able to choose the person, not the party, if they want to do so. RCV ensures that we get majority winners in each election. It is an exciting path-breaking event in our history.

More Choices When It Matters

In the race for Pierce County Executive, voters will have four solid candidates from whom to choose. The Assessor-Treasurer race has six candidates. The Sheriff and District #2, County Council races have three candidates each in them. This is in stark contrast to the state level elections where there will be only one or two candidates on the ballot.

There are more third party and independent candidates on the November ballot than the rest of the state combined. Independent voters in North Tacoma will have Ken Paulson as a choice for County Council. Mike Lonergan is running as a third party candidate for County Executive.

Vote Your Heart

In these races, voters will be allowed to list their first, second and third choices. In the County Executive race, if you love candidate A, like candidate B, can live with candidate C and loath candidate D, you, as a voter, can list A as your first choice, B as your second choice and C as your third choice. No need to worry about throwing the race to candidate D. No need to settle for second or third best, because "they have the best chance to win." Vote your heart in these ranked choice elections.

Majority Winners

In a RCV election, if one candidate receives a majority of the first choice votes, then that candidate is the winner. If no candidate receives a majority of the first choice votes, then the candidate with the fewest first choices is eliminated and those votes are allocated based on the voters' second choices.

If after this allocation a candidate has a majority of the votes, that candidate wins. If not, repeat the process until one candidate has a majority. This process ensures a majority winner and prevents candidates from winning with less than a majority of the voters supporting that candidate.

Remember to Fill Out the Separate Ballot

This will be the first November election with more than one ballot card in Pierce County. Be sure to fill out both the traditional ballot card and the Ranked Choice Voting card and return both in the envelope.

Make sure you read the voters' pamphlet for the instructions. The Elections Department has done a good job of explaining how to fill out your ballot for these races.

Participate in History

This RCV election is, by far, the largest implementation of RCV in a partisan election in the US. Have fun with it. Vote your heart. People throughout the country see Pierce County as a leader in election reform. And you get to participate.

One, Two Blue Video

The Pierce County Democrats are promoting the idea of voters listing the Democrats as first choice and second choice in the County Executive and County Council races. It is a clever little video worth viewing.

The Democrats will likely need first and second choices to win these two races. The party is promoting the use of these first two choices. This is good strategy for the Democrats to use to improve their chances of winning these seats for the party.

Negative Campaigning Costing Votes in County Executive Race?!?

Supporters of Calvin Goings (D) have been blasting fellow Democrat Pat McCarthy for receiving the endorsement of the Master Builders Association in their race for Pierce County Executive. Some Goings supporters are going so far as to recommending McCarthy be the fourth choice in this Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) election. In most political races going negative is a winning strategy. This negative campaign strategy is not likely to help elect a Democrat.

In RCV elections, the winner is required to receive a majority of the votes. In this particular race, there are four candidates: Shawn Bunney, the Republican; Mike Lonergan, running under the Executive Excellence banner; Goings and McCarthy. Voters are allowed to list their first, second and third choices. It is quite unlikely that Goings will receive a majority of the first choices in this race. As a result, to win he will need second and third choices from voters who support other candidates as their first choice. Democrats Al Rose and Carolyn Merrival face a similar situation in the County Council, District 2 race.

Since the Democrats have two candidates in both the County Executive race and the County Council, District 2 race, the county party is working to raise money for an ad campaign encouraging voters to cast both their first and second choices in these two races for Democrats. In the County Council race, Merrival and Rose have endorsed each other as their respective second choices. Should voters follow their endorsements, one of the Democrats will likely carry that seat despite a strong Republican candidate in State Rep. Joyce McDonald. Cooperative campaigning by Democrats can occur and is likely to protect a traditionally Democratic seat on the County Council.

Goings' attacks on McCarthy are likely to lead some voters who select McCarthy as their first choice to select either Bunney or Lonergan as their second and third choices. Indeed, out on the campaign trail we have heard the phrase "Anybody But Calvin" (ABC). On the blogs, there are people recommending McCarthy as first choice, Bunney as second choice and Lonergan as third choice. Now, this is pretty negative as well. But it sounds, at least partially, like a reaction to the negative campaigning of Goings' supporters.

This leads one to speculate that some of the ABC adherents are turned off by Goings' negative campaigning and are voting for the other candidates as a response. If this effect is widespread, then it could cost Goings votes and maybe the election.

The dynamics of RCV elections are somewhat different from the dynamics of Top 2 elections. In the race for Governor, the two candidates have gone heavily negative and each believes it will help them to get elected. In this County Executive race, going negative may be costing candidates votes.

If Rose or Merrival wins the Second District County Council seat and Bunney wins the County Executive seat, we will wonder if the negative campaigning of Goings cost the Democrats this seat.

Ranked Choice Voting elections start

Pierce County voters will be receiving their Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) absentee ballots in the mail today or Monday. There will be far more choices for the county level RCV races than the state level Top 2 races. For example, in the countywide races, there are four candidates in the County Executive race, six in the Assessor-Treasurer race and three in the Sheriff's race.

Part of the excitement is no one is quite sure who will win several of the county level elections, so your vote counts. The County Executive, Assessor-Treasurer, County Council, District #2 and #3 races have no clear cut favorite to win. On the other hand, Congressman Norm Dicks will win re-election his Top 2 election whether you vote for him or not.

Since RCV requires majority winners, your second and third choices in the County Executive, Assessor-Treasurer and County Council, District #2 races are likely to impact the ultimate outcome. Voters should be sure to list their second and third choices in these races.

Help democracy work. Vote in the county level elections. Be sure to put your RCV ballot back in the return envelope when you return it.

Top 2 vs. Ranked Choice Voting: Negative Campaigning

Top 2 races are exhibiting high levels of negative campaigning. The Top 2 system appears to be designed to maximize the amounnt of negative campaigning. In the Governor's race, the ads are almost all negative now. Voters are being asked to vote against the other candidate, not for a particular candidate.

In the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) races in Pierce County, we are seeing much lower levels of negative campaigning. We are seeing much more positive campaigning. In the County Executive race where there are four candidates and voters have three choices, the campaigns seem more interested in getting those voters' first choices than bashing individual opponents. There is still some negative campaigning, it is just at a lower level than the Governor's race or other heavily contested Top 2 races.

In the County Council District #2 race, Carolyn Merrival and Al Rose have each endorsed the other as their second choices. Of course, in Top 2 races, voters are not allowed to list their second choices, so this would never happen. The very structure of RCV races leads to more cooperative campaigning than the Top 2.

If voters would prefer more positive campaigning and less negative campaigning, RCV is a superior system to the Top 2. Within the Top 2 system, in a heavily contested race, we see a reflex campaign tactic of going negative. Within the RCV system, we see many races with more than two candidates and the rewards to going negative are reduced.

Merrival and Rose Urge Voters to Use Their Choices

By Carolyn Merrival and Al Rose

As candidates for the District #2 seat on the Pierce County Council, we recommend to voters that they list both their first and second choices in this race.

Al Rose recommends Al Rose as first choice and Carolyn Merrival as second choice. Al Rose is the first choice for County Council #2 because he offers a fresh, new approach to the many challenges we face in our community. A lifelong resident of Pierce County, Al understands what we expect from our elected officials and as a prosecutor and the chair of the Pierce County Library Board, he knows first-hand what it takes to get things done. Whether it's cost-effective government, safer neighborhoods, protecting our kids, improving our roads, or planning for responsible growth, Al Rose is ready to work together with others, and deliver real results for the citizens of the Council District #2.

Carolyn Merrival recommends Carolyn Merrival as first choice and Al Rose as second choice. Carolyn Merrival will bring a fresh perspective to the council that is sorely lacking. She feels that for a long time now, the council has been listening to the wrong voices. They have been listening to the voices of special interests such as the developers rather than the voices of their constituents. She wants them to start listening to the voices of the families who make Pierce County home. She interacts daily with families of diverse social, political and economic circumstances and can represent you well on the council. Choose Carolyn Merrival as your first choice to be a Voice for Families on the Pierce County Council.

This race is a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) election where voters are allowed to list up to three choices. Listing a second choice will not reduce the chance of your first choice winning.

Since there are three strong candidates in this race, the winner is likely to need a combination of first choices and second choices in order to obtain a majority of votes. By taking our recommendation, you will increase the chance that one or the other of us will win.

Bloggers Note: For more on this race, see this posting.

Ranked Choice Voting put to the test in Pierce County Council, District #2 race

Joyce McDonald (R), Carolyn Merrival (D) and Al Rose (D) are running for Calvin Goings' seat on the Pierce County Council. Goings, a Democrat, held the seat for eight years and is running for County Executive this November.

The race is an interesting example of the new Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system being used in Pierce County. All three candidates will appear on the November ballot. Voters will be allowed to list their first, second and third choices on the ballot. The Democrats are counting on voters listing their first two choices for Democrats. McDonald's campaign would like to see either some ticket splitting or some voters listing just their first choice.

Joyce McDonald was first elected State Representative in 2002 and has chosen to run for Pierce County Council rather than to run for re-election.

In 2000, McDonald ran for State Senate against Democrat Jim Kastama and Libertarian Jerry Christensen. Kastama won with less than a majority of the vote. At the time, McDonald was quoted as saying that Christensen had cost her the election. It would have been quite interesting to have had that race run as a RCV election where voters were allowed to list their second choices as well as their first choices. McDonald might well have spent the last eight years in the State Senate rather than Kastama.

McDonald is a strong candidate in this race given her name recognition and ability to campaign. While this district probably tends Democrat, the strength of McDonald's name recognition may well carry the day.

Dr. Carolyn Merrival was elected to the Pierce County Charter Review Commission and opposed Ranked Choice Voting while on the Commission. However, she showed herself to be a thoughtful, hard working member of the Commission. Later, she supported Democratic Party rules to allow more than one Democrat on the ballot in Ranked Choice Voting elections. We compliment Merrival on her support of voter choice. Merrival certainly wants the second choices of Rose supporters.

Al Rose is a deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Pierce County. He has been the legal counsel to the Pierce County Auditor's office. Thus far, Merrival and Rose have raised about the same amounty of money for this race and it is unclear who will be favored by more voters. Of course, Rose will be asking for the second choice support of Merrival supporters.

It seems unlikely that any candidate will receive a majority of the first choices in this race. Also, McDonald will probably receive the most first choices. Will Merrival or Rose be the first eliminated? Will the second choices of supporters of the eliminated candidate be enough to elect the Democrat?

In this race, the election is still to be decided. Voters should review their choices carefully and list both a first choice and a second choice. It should be a close race.

If McDonald wins this race and Roger Bush wins re-election, the Republicans could have a 5-2 majority on the Pierce County Council. This would be quite a bright spot in the state for Republicans.

Of course, if the Democrats carry these two races, the control of the Council would shift back to the Democrats.

Voters have a real choice in this election. The voters choice in this election will have a major impact on the composition of the County Council.

Pierce County Council poised for November shake-up

Bloggers Note: This article appeared in the Peninsula Gateway which circulates in the Gig Harbor area of Pierce County.


Chairman Terry Lee enters race for County Assessor-Treasurer
Paige Richmond
of the Gateway
Published: 03:51PM June 18th, 2008
The outcome of this November’s election could mean a new path for Terry Lee.

Lee, a Gig Harbor resident, has served on the seven-member Pierce County Council since 2003 and as chair of the council since 2006. He represents District 7, which includes the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula areas.

Although Lee’s term on the council isn’t up until 2010, he’s decided to enter the race this year for another position: County Assessor-Treasurer. If elected to the non-partisan position in November, Lee, a Republican, will leave both his council seat and the council chairman’s position open prematurely.

“If you’re in this role as an elected official, and you want to serve again, you look for opportunities,” Lee said about why he’s running for a position now instead of 2010. “If I waited until I term-limited off the council, I wouldn’t have anything to run for.”

Term limits are determining factors in this year’s council election. It’s not just national politics that could see a shake-up come this November; the Pierce County Council is poised for a change in leadership, too. Each member of the council is either up for re-election in 2008 or has entered a race for another county position.

“Part of it is because of term limits,” said Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy, who has entered this year’s competition for County Executive. “It’s not uncommon, in a county with term limits.”

Council members are limited to two terms in Pierce County. Those members who, like Lee, hope to continue serving as elected officials begin looking for new roles before their second term ends. Republican council member Shawn Bunney, for example, entered the race for County Executive this year, although his second term representing Council District 1 isn’t up until 2010.

Council member Barbara Gelman, a Democrat who represents District 5, is in a similar boat as Lee: She is also running for County Assessor-Treasurer, although her second term on the council ends in 2010.

Three of the council members — Democrat Timothy Farrell, who represents District 4, and Republicans Roger Bush and Dick Muri, who represent Districts 3 and 6, respectively — reach the end of their first terms this year and are running for re-election.

Democrat Calvin Goings’ second term ends in 2008, so the District 2 representative is making a run for County Executive.

Early last year, Lee had also announced his candidacy for the executive seat, only to withdraw shortly afterward. He said the decision was based on a desire to spend more time at home.

“I’ve been asked by a lot of people to do that,” Lee said about running for County Executive. “It’s a regional-type position, where I’m gone all the time. I’m getting to be at an age where having a private life is important to me, as well.”

The assessor-treasurer job, Lee said, fits best with his experience in both the private and public sectors. The position, which is being vacated by Ken Madsen this year, involves evaluating property for taxation.

Lee served on both the Pierce County Planning Commission and the Peninsula Advisory Commission addressing land-use issues before running for his council seat. One of his goals as assessor-treasurer, he said, is to provide public outreach about taxation.

“I think there’s a little bit of voodoo magic in property tax evaluation and assessment,” Lee said. “I think there’s a good opportunity to educate people about those things, and I’d like to do that.”

He said another of his goals is to provide tax relief for Pierce County residents who are “being taxed out of their homes.”

If Lee is elected to the Assessor-Treasurer’s seat in November, the Pierce County Republican Party would put forward three prioritized recommendations to replace him on the county council. The appointment would serve from January to November 2009, when the seat would be open for general election.

The appointed replacement, however, would not take Lee’s chairman role. That position would be chosen by the six other council members.

If Lee fails at his bid, he’ll continue as council member until 2010. By then, Lee could have another option for continuing his public service: Some Pierce County residents are attempting to add a measure to the 2009 ballot that would allow council members to run for a third term.

If the measure passes, Lee said he’d run again.

“I enjoy it. I just really enjoy it,” he said. “When I was first elected to the council, I thought, ‘If I could get a second term, that would be enough.’ But now, I’m not ready to retire.”


Roles to change in county

Each member of the seven-person Pierce County Council is running in this year’s election — some for re-election, some for new positions. Here’s a breakdown of the council members’ campaigns:

Two council members are running for County Executive. Calvin Goings, a Democrat from District 1, and Shawn Bunney, a Republican from District 2, are both running for the executive seat, which is being vacated John Ladenburg. Their terms end in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Democrat Pat McCarthy, the current county auditor, and former Republican Mike Lonergan, who has run for the seat twice before, are also in the race.

Roger Bush, a Republican from District 3, is up for re-election. He has served on the council for one term. Democrat Bruce Lachney is running against him.

Timothy M. Farrell, a Democrat from District 4, is up for re-election. He has served on the council for one term. Independent Ken Paulson is Farrell’s opponent.

Two council members are running for County Assessor-Treasurer. Barbara Gelman, a Democrat from District 5, and Terry Lee, a Republican from District 7, both reach the end of their second terms on the county council in 2010. Four other candidates — Dale Washam, Jan Shabro, Bernardo Tuma and Beverly Davidson — are running for the non-partisan position.

Dick Muri, a Republican from District 6, is up for re-election. He has served on the council for one term. Democrat Vincent Stewart is running against him.

Reach Reporter and Columnist Paige Richmond at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) races in Pierce County

For more information about the County Executive race, see here.

For more information about the County Assessor-Treasurer race, see here.

Now that filing week is over in Pierce County, we know who is running in each of the races, it appears as if we will have three very interesting RCV elections this November in Pierce County.

The County Executive race has been going on for months now and all four of the known candidates signed up to run this week. There will be one Republican (Shawn Bunney), two Democrats (Calvin Goings and Pat McCarthy) and one Executive Excellence candidate (Mike Lonergan). About the only thing insiders are willing to predict about this race is that no candidate will receive a majority of the first choices, so candidates will have quite the incentive to ask for second and third choices. This will be the largest partisan RCV race in modern US history. The Pierce County voters and elections department will be making history together.

The non-partisan County Assessor-Treasurer race has attracted quite a field of candidates. There are six candidates, all of whom have either held political office before or have run for political office before. Once again, it is unlikely that one candidate will receive over 50% of the first choices, so campaigning for second and third choices is likely to be a big deal. This race is a poster child for why the newspapers and other endorsers should tell voters about their second and third choices.

The partisan County Council seat for District #2 promises to be interesting as well. Joyce McDonald, the Republican, is the best known candidate as she is a sitting State Representative. However, this seat is currently held by Democrat Calvin Goings who is now running for County Executive. Two Democrats (Carolyn Merrival and Al Rose) are angling to fill Calvin's seat. They will have to work together to beat McDonald or else McDonald will win easily.

Pierce County voters will have many choices in November for county level offices and sparse choices at the state level. The contrast will be stark. We believe voters will prefer more choices to just one or two.

The non-partisan County Assessor-Treasurer race in particular will provide a nice example of how non-partisan RCV races could work in Washington. Next year's legislature would do well to watch this race and consider giving local jurisdictions such as cities, port districts and school districts the option to elect their officials using RCV.

Candidate Filings in Pierce County RCV elections

For more information about the County Executive race, see here.

For more information about the County Assessor-Treasurer race, see here.

Pierce County will be using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to elect its county level officials this November. These races include County Executive, Assessor-Treasurer, Sheriff and 4 County Council positions. This past week was the week to file for these offices.

For County Executive, the following four candidates filed to run:

Shawn Bunney (R)
Calvin Goings (D)
Mike Lonergan (Executive Excellence)
Pat McCarthy (D)

For the non-partisan position of Assessor-Treasurer, the following candidates filed to run:

Beverly Davidson
Barbara Gelman
Terry Lee
Jan Shabro
Bernando Tuma
Dale Washam

For the non-partisan position of Sheriff, the following candidates filed:

Jesse Hill
R.P. Kollu
Paul Pastor

For County Council, District #2, the following candidates filed:

Joyce McDonald (R)
Carolyn Merrival (D)
Al Rose (D)

For County Council, District #3, the following candidates filed:

Roger Bush (R)
Bruce Lachney (D)

For County Council, District #4, the following candidates filed:

Tim Farrell (D)
Ken Paulson (I)

For County Council, District #6, the following candidates filed:

Dick Muri (R)
Vincent Stewart (D)

Editor's Note: We believe that the Jesse Hill running for Sheriff is actually the person better known as Robert Hill. It is possible that he may be ruled out of the race.