Bellingham primary undecided: Washington August 4 school board results
August 11, 2015
By Lauren Dixon
Of Washington's 34 largest school districts holding general elections in November, eight held primary elections for 11 seats on August 4, 2015. A primary became necessary in these districts when more than two candidates filed for a seat. The top two vote-getters in those races will advance to the general election on November 3, 2015.
Richland, Seattle and Tacoma each had two seats up for primary election, while the five remaining districts—Battle Ground, Bellingham, Edmonds, Northshore and Spokane—each had just one seat up for election in the primary. November's general election will feature a total of 102 seats.
The majority of races saw three challengers per seat, while Seattle and Tacoma had one seat each with four challengers. Across the eight districts there were five open seats, as their incumbents opted against filing for re-election. Every incumbent who ran in the primary was successful in securing a spot in the general election.
Throughout Washington, several districts have seen teachers protesting over state funding, class sizes and pay, beginning in April 2015. Seattle Public Schools staged a one-day walkout protest on May 19, 2015, due to the state's handling of classroom sizes, cost-of-living pay increases and other concerns related to public education funding.[1] Spokane Public Schools held a similar protest on May 27, 2015.[2]
Note: Voters in Washington primaries were required to postmark their ballots by August 4, 2015. Due to the postal delay in returning ballots, results in these elections were not complete on election night. All results have been updated as of August 11, 2015. Results are scheduled to be finalized in the third week of August.
Spotlight: Bellingham School District
The second winner in Bellingham School District was still too close to call as of August 11, 2015. Just 12 votes separated challengers Jono Manion and Anthony Wallace. Quenby Peterson came out on top, winning a spot in the general election with 62.2 percent of the vote.[3] The three candidates are vying for the seat of Kenneth Gass, who was the only incumbent not to file for re-election. Final results for this race are scheduled to be released in the third week of August, though a recount is possible.
Recounts can take place at the local level in Washington if there are less than 150 votes and 0.25 percent separating the second- and third-place finishers. The recount is called for by the County Canvassing Board, who then determines the time and place of the recount. After the recount has taken place, the Board then certifies the results by submitting an amended abstract of votes. The abstract is then presented to the secretary of state for verification.[4]
Candidates
Note: An (i) next to a candidate's name indicates incumbent status.
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Battle Ground School District Bellingham School District Edmonds School District Northshore School District Richland School District Position 5 |
Seattle Public Schools District 6 Spokane Public Schools Tacoma Public Schools Position 4 |
*As of August 11, 2015, results for the second winner in this race were still too close to call. Manion had 18.9 percent of the vote with 2,596 votes, and Wallace had 18.8 percent with 2,584 votes.[3]
Footnotes
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Thousands of teachers hit streets in Seattle — and Dems walk out, too," May 19, 2015
- ↑ KHQ, "Spokane and East Valley teachers rally in downtown," May 27, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Whatcom County Auditor, "August 4, 2015 Primary," accessed August 11, 2015
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Recount Elections," accessed August 11, 2015
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