By Doug Barker
The Daily World
It won’t be business as usual, but pretty close, as election filing opens Monday around Washington.
In Grays Harbor County, with the Courthouse essentially closed, Auditor Joe MacLean expects that most candidates will file online, but his office will set up a desk inside the county commission meeting room to take candidates who come to file in person. Precautions will be made for COVID-19 protocols. He urges candidates who want to file in person to call ahead (360-249-4232) to make an appointment, but it is not essential.
Anyone can file through the voter portal vote.wa.gov, MacLean said.
This election cycle features statewide and legislative offices and few municipal races, so there won’t be many people filing in Grays Harbor, MacLean said. There are some school board spots on the ballot and many precinct committee officers.
The major local races include two Grays Harbor county commission races, three Superior Court Judge seats and six legislative races between the 19th and 24th districts and those include more than one county, which means they likely will register with the Secretary of State’s Office.
County Commissioner Randy Ross of Aberdeen is up for re-election. The East County commissioner seat held by Wes Cormier is on the ballot, but Cormier is running for state Senate in the 19th so the county spot is wide open. All three Superior Court Judge positions in Grays Harbor — now held by Judges David Edwards, Stephen Brown and David Mistachkin — are on the ballot. The senior judge, David Edwards, is running for another term. Brown has said that he is retiring. County Prosecutor Katie Svoboda and Hoquiam Municipal Court Judge Andrea Vingo have announced their intention to run for that seat. And Mistachkin is expected to run again.
In the Legislature, incumbents in the 19th, which covers parts of Grays Harbor, Lewis and Cowlitz counties and all of Pacific and Wiakiakum counties, all three incumbents, Reps. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen; Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, and Sen. Dean Takko, D-Longview, are running for re-election and each is expected to draw challengers.
In the 24th District, which includes part of Grays Harbor and all of Clallam and Jefferson counties, all thee incumbents are running again — Sen. Kevin Van de Wege, D-Sequim, Reps. Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim, and Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles and all are expected to draw challengers.
