(June 18, 2016) — The Okanogan Grange #1103 will sponsor and host a Primary Election Candidates Forum on Monday, July 18 from 7 – 9 p.m. at the Okanogan Grange Hall, 305 Tyee Street in Okanogan, Washington. Each candidate will have an opportunity to address the voters, and there will be a question and answer session for all positions.
All candidates whose names appear on the August 2 Primary Ballot for contested Okanogan County positions have been invited to attend. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., with an opportunity for voters to “meet and greet” the candidates both before as well as after the event. Refreshments will be served.
Contact Jim Martin at (509) 846-6311 for further information.
The Washington State Grange championed the original open blanket primary in Washington State through the initiative process back in 1935. After nearly 70 years, the open primary was challenged by the political parties and overturned in the courts. In 2004 the Grange sponsored Initiative 872 to reestablish the “top-two primary”, and the initiative was overwhelmingly approved by the state’s voters. Initiative 872 was again challenged by the political parties in the courts, and the State Grange led the defense of the “top-two primary” all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld the initiative in 2008. Although there are still legal challenges being made by the political parties, the Grange has held firm in its belief that the voters deserve to choose the best candidates regardless of party affiliation.
