It’s still 2019, but the 2020 presidential election is already dominating our political consciousness. For the next year — until the Democratic primary determines who will challenge President Donald Trump for his seat in the oval office — the major news outlets will be covering every spat, misstep and accusation lobbed between the ever-increasing number of Democrats vying for the nomination.
Meanwhile in Lewis County, life goes on. Elections do too. Sadly, as of yesterday, only about 15 percent of registered voters in our county have turned in their ballot. We encourage readers to fill out your ballots in the next three days and get them in the mail or a dropbox.
While an election for your local city council or school board isn’t nearly as entertaining as a national race played out under the spotlight, we at The Chronicle believe it’s the local elected officials who have the greatest impact on your life. After all, it’s local elected officials who set our property and sales tax rates to build our roads and schools and protect us from fire and crime.
There are a number of local offices up for election this November, but only those with more than two candidates will be up for election in Tuesday’s primary. Offices including city councilors in Centralia, Pe Ell, Vader and Winlock, school board spots in the Centralia and White Pass School Districts and two hospital district positions are on this primary. For a full list and candidate information, go online to www.elections.lewiscountywa.gov/online-voters-guide/.
Luckily for us, Washington is one of the easiest places to vote. Voters can register in person (locally, at the Lewis County Auditor’s Office) up until election day — Tuesday. For more information on voting or registration, go to www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/ or https://lewiscountywa.gov/offices/auditor/.
If you’ve already registered, and you live in a district with an office on the primary, you should have already received your ballot. If you haven’t, contact the Lewis County Auditor’s Office at one of the links above.
Once you’ve got your ballot open, you know what to do. Grab your pen and color in the lines.
The next part is even easier. There are 11 ballot boxes throughout Lewis County available for the primary, but even if you can’t find one, postage on ballots is free statewide. Drop boxes close at 8 p.m. Tuesday and all mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than Aug. 6.
Take our advice — your vote does matter. Remember to vote this Tuesday.
