Published October 23, 2012
Ballots in the mail – now it’s up to you, the voter
The Thurston County elections office mailed ballots for the general election late last week to more than 150,000 active registered voters. Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 6, the date of the election. The Olympian editorial board has endorsed candidates and other ballot measures, which are summarized below. The complete list of endorsements can be read online. Go to www.theolympian.com/opinion. Proposition 1 There are too many unanswered questions to empower the Thurston Public Utility District to “acquire and construct” the infrastructure to distribute electrical power. The campaign has been based on ideology and hasn’t provided enough information for Thurston County voters to make an intelligent choice. No Initiative 1185 Requiring a supermajority, or two-thirds of state lawmakers, gives the minority undemocratic powers. It takes only a simple majority to create tax loopholes, but a supermajority to close them. No Initiative 1240 It’s time to try an experiment with charter schools for low-income, high-risk children in low-performing schools. This initiative has plenty of safeguards against harming other public schools. Yes Initiative 502 Decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana for adults allows law enforcement to focus on other issues. Passing this initiative, which includes standards for impaired driving, will help pressure the federal government to get its marijuana laws in line with states, especially around medicinal uses. Yes Referendum 74 Voting yes approves the same-sex marriage law passed by the Legislature earlier this year. Public opinion is already there. Yes Resolutions 8221 and 8223 Both of these resolutions received near-unanimous votes in both chambers of the Legislature. The first would lower the state’s allowable debt limit, and the second would give UW and WSU more flexibility in how they invest their pension funds. Yes President of the United States Barack Obama U.S. Senate Maria Cantwell 10th Congressional District Denny Heck Governor Jay Inslee Lieutenant governor Bill Finkbeiner Secretary of state Kim Wyman Attorney general Bob Ferguson State treasurer Jim McIntire Commissioner of public lands Peter Goldmark Insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler 22nd Legislative District Karen Fraser – Senate Chris Reykdal – House Position 1 Sam Hunt – House Position 2 35th Legislative District Kathy Haigh – House Position 1 Lynda Ring-Erickson – House Position 2 2nd Legislative District Bruce Lachney – Senate Gary Alexander – House Position 1 County Commission Cathy Wolfe – District 1 Sandra Romero – District 2 Thurston County Superior Court Christine Schaller – Position 2 Erik Price – Position 4 Thurston Public Utility District Linda Oosterman City of Olympia Public Safety Levy Yes