Primary election ballots to be mailed Friday

Washington's election season advances another step this Friday as election officials will mail primary election ballots to registered voters.

Voters in every county will be able to return their ballots via the U.S. Postal Service without having to pay for a stamp. The official primary election day is August 7.

The candidates with the top two vote tallies will advance to the general election no matter their party preference.

Voters in the Wahkiakum County primary election will have contested races only at the state and legislative district level.

At the state level, some 31 people are running for US Senator; incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell is seeking reelection.

Candidates for the Congressional District 3 seat in the US House of Representatives include incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler (prefers Republican Party), Martin Hash (prefers Democratic Party), David McDevitt (Prefers Democratic Party),

Michael Cortney (prefers Republican Party), Earl Bowerman (Prefers Republican Party), and Carolyn Long (prefers Democratic Party), and Dorothy Gasqué (prefers Democratic Party).

The election for State Representative, District 19, Position 2, has three candidates: Brian E. Blake (prefers Democratic Party), Joel McEntire (prefers Republican Party), and David Parsons (prefers Republican Party).

Besides the contested state and legislative races mentioned above, Naselle and other Pacific County voters will have four local races to decide--sheriff, prosecuting attorney, county commissioner and public utility district commissioner.

Candidates for Pacific County sheriff are Robin Souvenir (prefers Independent Party), Scott L. Johnson (prefers Democratic Party), and Sean K. Eastham (prefers Republican Party).

Candidates for Pacific County commissioner, District 3 (Naselle and peninsula area), are Michael "Hawk" Runyon (prefers Independent Party), Todd P. Stephens (states no party preference), and Pebbles Keller Williams (prefers Democratic party).

Candidates for Pacific PUD No. 2 commissioner are Don Pape, J. Daniel Whealdon, and Debbie Oakes.

Candidates for prosecuting attorney include Pam Nogueira Maneman (no party preference), Mark McClain (prefers Independent Party), and Eric Weston, (no party preference).

This spring, Secretary of State Kim Wyman and Governor Jay Inslee announced an historic agreement to fund statewide ballot return postage for the 2018 Primary and General Elections via grants totaling $1.2 million for county auditors in 38 counties. Because the King County Metropolitan Council had previously agreed to fund postage for voters there, Wyman additionally called for the Legislature to reimburse the approximate $600,000 cost King County will incur, thereby covering the postage costs in all of the state's 39 counties.

Wyman has said that she will also ask the Legislature in 2019 to make postage-paid ballot returns permanent.

The Wahkiakum County Elections Office will have three ballot boxes to collect unmailed ballots on election day. They will be at the auditor's office in the courthouse, 64 Main Street, Cathlamet, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m .; Johnson Park, 30 Rosburg School Road, Rosburg, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the Wahkiakum West Telephone Company office, 19 Miller Point Road, Rosburg, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.