The King County primary elections field this summer offers a bounty of credible African American candidates, as the King County Elections Bureau prepares to count more than a million mail-in ballots next week.
Aug. 18 is the deadline for getting your ballot to the elections office, and officials have instituted an online ballot tracker to help ensure all ballots are counted.
Ballots were mailed last week to over 1 million registered King County voters for the county's second all-mail primary, and more than 70,000 have already been received back at the elections bureau.
"The on-line ballot tracker providers every voter with an opportunity to follow their mail ballot as it proceeds toward being counted on Election Day," said Jacqueline Timmons, King County Elections Voter Services Manager.
The ballot tracker feature confirms each ballot's arrival at three different checkpoints, officials say, allowing them to troubleshoot where any stray ballots may have been lost.
The process affirms that, firstly, your ballot was delivered to your house by the Postal Service; secondly, that King County received your completed ballot back at the elections bureau; then lastly, that your ballot was actually verified and your vote counted.
To verify your ballot through the tracker system, go to www.info.kingcounty.gov/elections, follow the links to Mail Ballot Tracking, then input your first and last names, as well as your birthday.
If there is any problem with your ballot, contact King County Elections as soon as possible to ensure your receive a replacement before next week's deadline.
"We're really appreciative of those voters who are proactively contacting us to let us know if they haven't received their ballot in the mail or if they have an address change," said Timmons. "We rely on voters to help us make sure that our database has the most up-to-date information."
Voters can also return their ballots in person weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Renton, Seattle and Bellevue.
For more information call 206-296-VOTE or visit www.kingcounty.gov/elections.
African American Candidates: A King County Directory
King County Council District No. 9
Mark Greene
Education: Inver Hills College, A.A.S.
Occupation: Playwright
Platform: Elections reform
Port of Seattle Commissioner Position No. 3
Rob Holland,
Education: Masters of Public Administration from Seattle University
Occupation: currently working in fuel sales – including biofuel sales – for truck fleets
Platform: green jobs creation at the Port.
http://www.robforport.com/
City of Federal Way Council Position No. 6
Troy J. Smith
Education: none listed
Occupation: Insurance
Platform: parks and wetlands conservation and better funding for utility, emergency and human services.
Attorney Roger Freeman
Education: law degree and a bachelor's degree in political science
Occupation Attorney
Platform: promoting quality of life, public safety and economic opportunities
Freemanforcitycouncil@comcast.net
City of Kent
Council Position No. 6
Barbara Phillips
Education: M.S. Project Management
Occupation: Management Program Assistant
Platform: Increase community connection to city government and improve government processes
Mayor of Seattle
James Donaldson
Education: Washington State University
Occupation; retired NBA; small business owner
Platform: Strengthening transportation, education, environment; merge City Light and Seattle Public Utilities; reduce bureaucracy.
http://www.teamdonaldson.com
Kwame Wyking Garrett -
Occupation: founder and chief executive of Remix Marketing & Communications, LLC; a founding director of the African American Heritage Museum and Cultural Center; founder of the Seattle Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council
Platform: educational reforms and other efforts to reduce youth violence; tax incentives for small businesses; stimulus money for green jobs
http://www.vote-wyking.com
Norman Zadok Sigler
Education: M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and a B.S. degree in Natural Sciences and Mathematics from Washington & Lee University.
Occupation: corporate management
Platform: Economy; healthcare reform; education
http://www.SiglerforSeattle.com
City of Seattle
Council Position No. 8
Bobby Forch
Education: Bachelor of Arts from Central Washington University
Occupation: Strategic Advisor for the City's Department of Transportation
Platform: better support and processes for small businesses; transportation; environment
Seattle School District No. 1
Director District No. 5
Andre Helmstetter
Education: Evergreen College
Occupation: Small business owner
http://andreforschools.org
Mary E. Bass
Education: B.A. Economics, UW; Masters Public Administration, focus in Public Policy and Environmental Economics, UW
Occupation: Project/Program Manager, King County Dept. of Transportation
SIDEBAR:
Return Your Ballot in Person
Renton, King County Elections, 919 Grady Way
Weekdays, July 29 – August 17, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, August 15, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday, August 18, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave. NE
Friday, August 14, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, August 15, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday, August 17, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday, August 18, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Seattle, Union Station, 401 Jackson St.
Friday, August 14, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, August 15, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday, August 17, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday, August 18, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
