While elections for federal office or state executive positions routinely draw plenty of attention from voters and media outlets, in many ways this year’s races have a bigger impact on our daily lives.
Contests for county council or the school board or fire district commissioner help determine how much we pay in property taxes or which books our children read in school or the response time of emergency services. An efficient, well-functioning community starts with leadership at the local level.
So, we take note of filing week, with candidates having until Friday to throw their hats in the ring for a variety of positions on this year’s ballot. The primary election is Aug. 6, narrowing races to two candidates for the Nov. 5 general election.
As the old saying goes, if you want something done right, do it yourself. That applies to local government, and we encourage citizens who find fault with their city council or local school board to file for office and pay the filing fee — 1 percent of the position’s annual salary. For example, a seat on the Vancouver City Council has a salary of $24,060, meaning the filing fee is $240.60.
Unfortunately, in many local contests, there will be two or fewer candidates from the outset, rendering the primary moot for those elections. A review of Clark County election results from 2015, which included many positions that again are on the ballot, reveals that 62 candidates ran unopposed. That likely contributed to a paltry voter turnout of 34 percent in the general election.
This diminishes our democracy, lowering the level of discourse and failing to require candidates to articulate their positions on a given issue.
Having multiple candidates challenge each other on topics such as how to address homelessness and whether Clark County should maintain its moratorium on marijuana businesses better serves the public and results in a government that is more responsive to citizens.
Equally important is a candidate’s ability to focus on the issues facing a given office, rather than items outside the purview of that office. As Columbian Editor Craig Brown wrote in regards to how the newspaper will report on this year’s elections: “We don’t care if a school board candidate loves carbon taxes, or if a city council candidate thinks the U.S. should be on the gold standard, but we will almost certainly ask about school levies or road maintenance.”
This year’s ballot is bereft of the high-profile, partisan races that typically garner attention, but that does not render it as unimportant.
Four spots on the seven-member Vancouver City Council are up for grabs; so are five positions on the Ridgefield City Council and positions of leadership for other incorporated areas. Various school board spots — including three each in the Vancouver and Evergreen districts — also are open.
There also will be a partisan race for one spot on the Clark County Council, with Republican Gary Medvigy running to hold the position to which he was appointed earlier this year.
These contests will help shape our communities for the coming years; but the key to good elections is good candidates.
There is an axiom in American politics that all politics is local — a phrase that plays out in odd-year, nonpartisan contests. Election season unofficially kicked off Monday with the opening of filing week. We hope that many qualified, engaged candidates seize the opportunity to help lead our region to a prosperous future.
