No surprises so far in Clark County election filings

Reached by phone Tuesday, Moeller said his campaign manager planned to file the paperwork sometime during the week. “We will be filing,” he said.

A Clark Public Utility race also heated up on Tuesday. District 3 incumbent Byron Hanke, who filed on Monday, was challenged by Jane Van Dyke, a former utility commissioner. In 2002, after nearly 18 years on the board, Van Dyke announced she would not seek re-election. Hanke won her seat that November.

Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, filed her paperwork to seek re-election late Monday, but she was not added until Tuesday morning to the county’s list of candidates who filed. She’s being challenged by Democrat Maureen Winningham in the 18th District.

November’s general election will be a busy one. Within Clark County, there are 32 open seats, along with 247 precinct committee officer openings for both the Republican and Democratic parties. Some are high-profile and contested positions, including the county commissioner District 3 seat and sheriff’s post.

Cathie Garber, the county’s elections supervisor, said there could be plenty of work ahead. She said she expects to receive a deluge of PCO filings in the coming days.

“It can take a lot of time,” Garber said. Democrats so far have lagged far behind Republicans in filing for those elections, she said.

The last day for candidates to file for office is Friday. After that, the county will start collecting voter pamphlet statements from candidates. Voters’ pamphlets will start arriving in people’s mailboxes in early July, ahead of the primary election in August.