Voter registration deadlines approach

The Aug. 1 election date is coming up, and voter registration deadlines are now approaching.

The standard deadline for registration, which is for applications for new voter registration or updates to current registration, is Monday, July 3. Those applications can be submitted online or they can be mailed. If mailed, they must be postmarked by July 3 to be valid.

In-person registration for those not currently registered to vote in the state can be completed at the elections office in Colfax or the Pullman city clerk’s office at Pullman City Hall through Monday, July 24, at 5 p.m.

Registration forms for new registration or updates are available online at sos.wa.gov.

There will be a number of items on the ballot, including mayoral and city council races, as well as town measures.

Five candidate races are on the ballot for the seats which garnered three or more candidates during candidate filing in May.

The following candidate races will be on the ballot:

Pullman school director position four seat with Liz Siler, Karl Johanson, Nathan Roberts and Lipi Turner-Rahman.

Town of Garfield mayor’s seat with Jarrod Pfaff, former mayor; Terry Linderman, and Ray McCown, current mayor.

Town of Garfield council position five with Rebecca Strange-Jones, Kevin Pickron and Tom Tevlin.

City of Pullman ward one council position sought by Hannah Krauss, Al Sorensen and Eric Fejeran, and ward two council position is between Garren Shannon, Dan Records, Troy Smith and Austin Brown.

There are also a number of local measures on the ballot.

In Farmington, three measures will hit the ballot, with the town seeking the adoption of a resolution to finance street maintenance, repairs and improvements. The levy would total $12,000 at an estimated $1.44 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The second measure in Farmington is a levy for its current expense fund. The property tax levy would collect approximately $8,000 at an estimated 96 cents or less per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The final measure in Farmington is a levy to finance the purchase of fire equipment and general equipment for the town. The levy totals $20,000 at an estimated $2.40 or less per $1,000 of assessed value.

All three levies, if passed, would be collected in 2018.

The Town of Garfield also has a street maintenance, repair and improvements levy on its ballot. The town’s levy totals $62,000 at an estimated $2.63 per $1,000 of assessed value. This levy, if passed, would be collected next year.

Two cemetery districts will also have levies on the ballot. St. John voters for Whitman County Cemetery District Three will be asked to vote for a special property tax levy of $14,000 at an estimated eight cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The funds would be used for maintenance and operations of the cemetery district and would be collected in 2018. Colfax’s cemetery district is also asking for a levy, this one totaling $250,000 at an estimated 67 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation to be collected in 2018. This levy will go toward maintenance and operation of the cemetery district, including purchase of equipment.

The ballots for the Aug. 1 election will be mailed to voters in the appropriate districts no later than 18 days prior to the election. They must be postmarked or back to the elections office by Aug. 1. Drop boxes are located on the WSU campus, at Pullman City Hall and in the alley behind the Public Works office in Colfax. Ballots may also be dropped off at the elections office in Colfax Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or on the day of the election from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.