SCC Media & Files

Conservation District Election FAQs

General

• Does the notice about a CD election need to be sent to the Commission?  [No]
• Are conservation district elections different from general elections?  [Yes]

Before the Election

• Can the Commission staff review notices about our conservation district elections before a CD publishes them?  [Sometimes we are able to.]
• Must a district verify that a candidate is a landowner or farm operator?  [Yes]
• Must candidates reside in the district boundaries to be eligible to be elected?  [Yes]
• Must candidates be registered voters to be eligible to be elected?  [Yes]
• Is an absentee landowner who owns land within the district boundary eligible to be elected if they reside outside the district boundary?  [No]
• Must the information provided by a candidate on the candidate information (application) be accurate?  [Yes]
• Is the definition of what a landowner or farm operator is for purposes of being a candidate in an election in the WAC?  [Yes]
• Is the reason why two of the three elected supervisors need to be farm operators or landowners in statute?  [Yes]
• In an election with multiple candidates, is a primary election held first to determine the top two candidates?  [No]
• Can a candidate withdraw from an election?  [Yes]
• Does the ballot need to be re-written to remove a candidate who has withdrawn?  [No]
• Must the conservation district do anything when a candidate withdraws to notify the voters of the candidate’s withdraw?  [No, but the conservation district can provide notice to the public of the candidates’ withdraw.]
• Can a candidate withdraw by an email?  [Yes]
• Can a candidate offer voters pre-paid envelopes to return their ballots in?  [Yes, but that should be available to all voters and voters run the risk of the returned envelope lacking a post-mark.]
• Can a conservation district use an electronic method to handle ballot requests?  [Yes, provided the election procedures are complied with.]
• Must a request made by a voter for a ballot be matched to that voter’s address?  [Yes]
• Can ballots be requested by someone other than the voter on behalf of the voter?  [Yes.  A request for a ballot can be made in person, in writing, by telephone or electronically, by the voter, a family member, or a registered domestic partner.]
• Should the conservation district provide instructions for requesting ballots in an election?  [Yes]

On Election Day

• Should voters declare their eligibility to vote to the district before a request for a ballot be fulfilled by the district?  [Yes]
• If a voter refuses or declines to declare their eligibility to vote to the district before a request for a ballot is fulfilled by the district, must the district still provide the ballot?  [Yes, the district would provide a provisional ballot]
• If a voter does not use the two envelope system when returning a ballot, will that disqualify the vote?  [Not automatically.]
• Can the county auditor’s office assist conservation districts in running elections?  [Yes]
• Can candidate statements be provided to voters at the poll-site on the day of election?  [No]

After the Election

• Do the notices about our election need to be sent to the Commission?  [No]