EDITORIAL
According to King County Elections, as of November 1st at 8PM, only about 15% of King County registered voters had mailed in ballots for the November 3, 2015 General Election… ballots that were mailed out nearly three weeks ago.
Do you know where yours is? In the 2014 General Election, there was about a 54% voter turnout. That means we have a LONG way to go in this election.
Currently in Snoqualmie, only 12.5% of registered voters have returned their ballots. That’s dismal. In North Bend it’s slightly better with about 17% of voters mailing in ballots so far. The Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District and Si View Metropolitan Parks District are sitting at about a 14.5% return stat.
Find a stamp and your ballot. Let’s go.
It there is one thing I have learned while running this website and manning its Facebook page, it’s that Snoqualmie Valley residents have strong opinions regarding local issues, decisions and elected officials charged with making the call of hot button topics – particularly growth, traffic and spending.
In this election, three North Bend city council seats are up for grabs in tightly contested races – as is its Mayor’s office. In Snoqualmie only one race is contested, but three seats are up for election. Our hospital and parks districts also have contested races.
The Snoqualmie Valley, just like King County and Western Washington, is growing fast. These officials will be charged with making many local level decisions that impact issues I hear many of you saying are important.
I know it’s overstated and cliché, but this IS your chance to have a say in future decisions that will determine how this Valley grows in the coming decades.
And it’s as easy as picking up pen, opening an envelope and filling in some ballot bubbles. Oh, and stamping that ballot and putting it in the mailbox.
Yes, we are all busy. We set the ballot aside and say we’ll get to it later. I was guilty of that same thing until 4 days ago.
But the clock has ticked and later is NOW. Time to get those ballots in the mail or to a King County Elections Dropbox. If they aren’t postmarked by tomorrow, they won’t count.
If you lost your ballot or are looking for a Dropbox – or just have any election-related questions, visit the King County Elections website to find your answers.