Make sure you vote
Dear Editor:
Election day for Washington’s 2026 primary is Tuesday, Aug. 4. Nearly everyone should have received their ballot by now. If you did not get a ballot yet, call the Okanogan County Elections Office at (509) 422-7240 or go to voter.votewa.gov, where you can print your personalized replacement ballot or fill it out online.
Since 2008, Washington state has used a top-two primary system that does not require candidates to declare a political party. This means that the two candidates for each race who get the most votes will advance to the General Election in November, regardless of party affiliation.
You might have noticed that not every candidate or issue that we’ll be voting on in the General Election shows up on your primary ballot.
Elections for nonpartisan positions (such as a judge) move directly to the general election if two or fewer candidates file for office. However, a partisan position (such as County Auditor) with only one or two persons running for office will still show up on the primary ballot.
Voters can write in the name of a candidate who doesn’t appear on the ballot, but for that vote to be counted, two conditions must be met. The write-in candidates must file a Declaration of Candidacy and the number of votes they get must be high enough to make a difference in the outcome of the race.
Primary elections matter. They decide who we get to vote for in the General Elections this November. Please get out and vote by Tuesday, Aug. 4, using the ballot box if you can. If you must mail your ballot, please ask the post office to handstamp the envelope with the date.
Thank you for voting.
Nancy Aadland
Winthrop
Illegal WATVs
Dear Editor:
So, Saturday before last I saw three different wheeled ATVs (WATVs) driving on the streets of Twisp, which is still illegal. This of course begs the question, why is the WATV community so focused on trying to change the laws when they don’t seem to mind ignoring them anyway? All of the operators were well into middle age, so the argument offered that these are adult owned vehicles and will obey the law is obviously erroneous. Some of you may remember the fine example of County Councilman Jim DeTro driving his illegally into the Town of Winthrop a few years ago, essentially daring the town to cite him.
All of this leads to my opposition to legalization, as it just encourages an extension of the places they will be used illegally, and enforcement of the law is extremely limited. The latter has been verified by most law enforcement agencies in the area.
Bob Hunt
Twisp
