Dear Editor — Election Information from our Chair

Dear Editor,

Election day for Washington’s 2026 primary is Tuesday, August 4th. Nearly everyone should have received their ballot by now. If you did not get a ballot yet, call the Okanogan County Elections Office at 509-422-7240 or go to voter.votewa.gov where you can print your personalized replacement ballot or fill it out online.

Since 2008, Washington State has used a top-two primary system that does not require candidates to declare a political party. This means that the two candidates for each race who get the most votes will advance to the General Election in November, regardless of party affiliation.

You might have noticed that not every candidate or issue that we’ll be voting on in the General Election shows up on your primary ballot. 

Elections for nonpartisan positions (such as a judge) move directly to the general election if two or fewer candidates file for office. However, a partisan position (such as County Auditor) with only one or two persons running for office will still show up on the primary ballot. 

Voters can write-in the name of a candidate who doesn’t appear on the ballot, but for that vote to be counted, two conditions must be met. The write-in candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and the number of votes they get must be high enough to make a difference in the outcome of the race.

Primary elections matter. They decide who we get to vote for in the General Elections this November. Please get out and vote by Tuesday August 4th using the ballot box if you can. If you must mail your ballot, please ask the post office to handstamp the envelope with the date.

Thank you for voting,

Nancy Aadland