Please Vote!

By ktkeller
(2 votes) (report abuse)

Did you get your ballot in the mail?  It might seem like a very minor thing, but the one item - election of a Director of Elections - is a critical choice.  In November, the voters of King County decided that this would be an elected position so if you care about the integrity of your vote in the future this is the time to choose the best, fairest, and most experienced professional.

Here are the candidates and thier statements:

http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/pamphlet/pamphlet.aspx?;eid=1227#c10495

Chime in about who you think would be best.

Make a point of putting that ballot in the mail as soon as possible.  How about before we celebrate the inauguration of our new president, whose election victory came about because of hard work by the countless folks involved in making sure that people who could vote were registered and able to vote, and that every vote was counted properly.

PS If, like me, you HATE mail in and want to be able to go to the polls, please direct your ire at the King County Council.  It's not a decision of Director of Elections.  That person is charged with making sure that elections are conducted accurately.

 

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posted on Thu, Jan 15, 2009 08:41 PM
last updated on Fri, Jan 16, 2009 06:29 PM
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Vote for Sherril Huff byMLK and Cherry January 15, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
There's really only one good choice is in race: Sherril Huff. As the appointed Director of Elections for the past year or so, she has done an outstanding job leading a department that got lots of criticism under its predecessor directors. I know our local Democratic party (the 37th District) has endorsed Huff.
Huff All The Way byscott January 15, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
We typically don't do editorial endorsements here at CDNews. But this is a crucial election, and all but one of them are some mix of crazy, unserious, ultra-right-wing, corrupt, gun-toting, mother-beating, lunatics.

The CDNews Editorial Board's Official Endorement is:
Sherril Huff
Bill Anderson? byAndrew Taylor January 15, 2009 (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Remind me what is wrong with Bill Anderson. He does not sound, from his statement, to be any of the things Scott's concerned about.

On the face of it, as a bank technology officer, he's an ideal guy for the job: "The fundamental similarities of processing votes and processing checks are that votes/checks come from multiple locations and that each has to be handled by multiple humans and multiple machines".

Am I missing something?
RE: Bill Anderson? bycarolyn January 15, 2009 (1 votes) (report abuse)
What struck me about his bio is that it keeps referring to "Seafirst." I think it was about 15 years ago that Seafirst became Bank of America. Makes me wonder how up to date his thinking is.

I already mailed my ballot - for Sherril Huff.
RE: Bill Anderson? byktkeller January 17, 2009 (0 votes) (report abuse)
Here is an earlier article with some background on most of the folks who are still running:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/390050_director01.html
David Irons, a former GOP county councilman from Issaquah who ran unsuccessfully for county executive in 2005.

Kempf, a former county elections superintendent -- the No. 2 position in the agency -- who was fired from that job in 2002 after late mailings of absentee ballots and accusations in an interdepartmental report that she lied about the reasons for the delay. She was previously active in Democratic politics. She participated in the charter amendment effort.

Chris Clifford, a Renton resident, Orting High School English teacher and citizen gadfly who has filed numerous lawsuits against public agencies. A one-time GOP precinct committee officer, he is leading the effort to recall Port of Seattle Commissioner Pat Davis.

Roach, a Republican state senator from Auburn known as a conservative firebrand.


Citizens for Accountable Elections (a group created basically to get an elected Director of Elections,) endorsement
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008458033_el

I don’t know Bill Anderson. I imagine he’s a fine person. I appreciate that what I read on his website shows me he gets what a number of people have been dealing with for many years and is willing to go head to head (at least via email) with the Wa State Secretary of State’s Office. I wish more people had come to understand what is going on with our election equipment and procedures, so we could have gotten rid of Sam Reed in November.

Election integrity activists, while butting heads with Huff (and more so County Council and Sam Reed because they are responsible for decisions) over those machines, have been able to work with her to resolve numerous issues, and feel confident that she will work with them in future to insure that the process is accurate and transparent. For example, people are seriously talking about running a test procedure at each election of machine counting a small percentage of votes, then hand counting, to verify the calibration of the machines. I hope Bill actually joins with election integrity folks or citizens election oversight processes, but I don’t think he has a chance to win this election, given the current field.

From a friend involved in citizen over sight of elections who I queried about Bill who said he'd be fine if Huff weren't running, and elaborated:

We need to not split our vote.

He has worked in the banking industry on check cashing software, which is of some use, unlike any of the other candidates besides Huff. I don't think that he really understands that it is easy to insure process integrity when

1. there is a unique identifying number for each transaction, linking both parties to a bank

2. you test your system against reality millions of times a day, which helps get the bugs in the process out.

It is not easy to do something well if you don't do it frequently. We already know that Sherril Huff is our best bet in this respect.


Bottom line, there is a real fear that we will have a crackpot ideologue running our elections. due to low voter turnout by most and high voter turnout by hard core supporters of that person.
Simple majority and possible low voter turnout byjoanna January 16, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
With six candidates any one of the candidates garner a simple majority, while receiving only 18% under the worst scenario. The winner does not have to receive 50% + 1. I agree with Scott and his Board. I am supporting Sherril Huff whose only agenda seems to be fair elections, while at the same time she knows the job, understands elections, has managed the people, and will be the most likely to ensure that the election process works well. All have strengths and weaknesses in their resumes and with research some may prove to have an agenda beyond fair elections. The position does not call for a technology expert, just someone who is able to become familiar with various available technologies and who can ask the right questions and is aware of the details that must be monitored.

With the requirement that the winner become certified, it is difficult to make a case against any particular candidate based on whether they could do the job. It is important to narrow the choices so that a good candidate can be elected. I will confess that I voted "no" on making this an elected position. The focus of the person in the position should be about managing well within the policies and laws of the County, not one to set policy. I felt the King County Executive should be able to hire and fire and should take the heat for poor management if Directors did a poor job. But, I did not get my way. Obviously those whose statements included advocating to make this an elected position lost my vote.

It is really important to vote for a known and qualified candidate. If voter turnout is low every vote will be even more important.
not eligible byjd98 January 16, 2009 (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Sherril Huff admits she didn't "move" to King County until after she filed for office
Is Eligible bykt January 16, 2009 (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
She signed a lease in time and then physically moved, giving up her place in Kitsap. Here is the back story. At least one other person who I totally respect and who had announced, mightily twisted her arm to run. She finally agreed and a few people dropped out because they want the best person. Thus the rush.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008634651_hu
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