Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The League of Women Voters in Pullman is planning a series of election forums in advance of the August primary election with the first scheduled Wednesday, July 13, from 7-9 p.m. at Pullman City Hall. The forum will feature three of five candidates for the seat now held by Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers.
Deb Olson, League of Women Voters voter service co-chair, said incumbent McMorris-Rodgers and Republican Tom Horne will not be able to attend.
Republican Krystol McGee, Democrat Joe Pakootas and Independent Dave Wilson are scheduled to take part.
“She (McMorris-Rodgers) has never responded to my correspondence,” Olson said. “Tom Horne said he has another event that has a wider audience to be at.”
“It’s a great opportunity for you to hook up with the candidates and talk with them,” she said. “This is an important job for the League to do.”
The second forum will be Friday, July 15, from 7-9 p.m. at the Whitman County Library in Colfax. This forum will feature the Ninth District state representative race between incumbent Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, and challengers Jennifer Goulet, D-Pasco, and Hailey Roemer, R-Pullman. All three are expected to be in attendance.
Olson said both forums will begin promptly at 7 p.m. She said this is a big way for voters to become informed.
“It’s important that we get the information to the voters,” she said. “And if you have a question you want answered, you can ask.”
Olson also said the forums provide a chance to hear from the candidates on the spot.
“Our forums are not scripted. We take questions from the audience, and we try to get through as many questions as possible,” she said.
The League also moderates the forums to make sure they do not get out of hand. Each candidate is given the opportunity to answer all questions asked.
Official ballots for the Aug. 2 primary election will be mailed out to voters July 15, and must be returned or postmarked to the elections office by Aug. 2 at 8 p.m. The ballot here will feature the Fifth Congressional District race and the Ninth District state representative race, as well as several statewide races, including the battle for the governor’s seat. Olson said it is particularly important to pay attention to the candidates and the ballot this year.
“I was just shocked when I saw how many candidates were running for state offices,” she said. “The ballot is going to be very crowded. There are 15 people running for Senator (Patty) Murray’s seat. Please read your ballot carefully.”
Olson also said statewide races for which local candidate forums are unable to be held will have videos of forums that took place elsewhere posted on the League of Women Voters website.
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