If you are a registered Washington State Voter, you should have by now received a copy of the King County Local Voters’ Pamphlet and accompanying official ballot. These ballots must be post marked no later than August 4th to be counted in the primary election.
This year, four of seven City of SeaTac Council Positions are up for a vote and this has resulted in attracting more interested candidates than the general election for three of the four seats can accommodate! Therefore the primary election is set to narrow the field of hopeful candidates vying for positions 1, 3, 7 this election year.
A “Top 2” primary allows voters to vote for any candidate running in each race. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary election advance to the general election.
The following candidates appearing on the primary ballot are:
Council Position No. 1
- Craig Baker
- Rick Forschler
- Barry Ladenburg
Council Position No. 3
- Peter Kwon
- Sally Andrews
- Terry A. Anderson
Council Position No. 7
- Erin A. Sitterley
- Mia Su-Ling Gregerson
- Leonard B. Luna
Consider This
If you were sitting at a table with a total of ten people, including yourself and the subject of politics were brought up, there is a good chance that every single person at the table would have a series of comments to contribute to the conversation ranging from opinions on what is not working or offer complaints on why things are broken or have ideas or suggestion on where things can be improved. However, if it were also known that only two of those ten people were active voters participating in the elections would that change the balance of the conversation? In 2013, King County Voter Records indicate that only 22% of registered voters* in SeaTac participated in the primary election. Yet it seems that a majority have an opinion to offer regarding the performance of our elected officials Is this fair? If you don’t participate in voter elections or local government affairs should you have a right to complain?
Your vote is your voice as a citizen. It's your opportunity to be heard, just as much as it is to hold elected officials accountable for their decisions, it’s your opportunity to support those elected officials who you feel should remain in place and it’s an opportunity to have a say in important issues that affect your community. On Election Day, every vote matters. Without voter participation our City is at risk of failing in finances, addressing citizen needs, attracting business and a whole host of other subjects that make SeaTac a livable place and enticing for someone to want to live here.
Please be an active voter. Return your ballot by August 4th via U.S. Postal mail or dropping your ballot off at a specific Ballot Return Location. Once your ballot is submitted, you can use the online Ballot Tracker to verify the processing status of your ballot submission.
Congratulations to ALL of the candidates for having the courage to make the committment to stage a council campaign and for harboring a passion to serve your community. Good luck to each of you in the upcoming elections.
*FootNotes: In 2013, the recorded population for SeaTac was 27,875. Of that number 12,108 or 43% are registered voters. In 2013, a total of 2,692 ballots were cast in the primary election, or less than 10% of the total population participated in the vote. That's equates to less then 1 of every 10 people in living SeaTac participated in the 2013 Primary Election.
*FootNotes: In 2013, the recorded population for SeaTac was 27,875. Of that number 12,108 or 43% are registered voters. In 2013, a total of 2,692 ballots were cast in the primary election, or less than 10% of the total population participated in the vote. That's equates to less then 1 of every 10 people in living SeaTac participated in the 2013 Primary Election.
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