Whatcom County voters asked to return to voting for all council members

SAM TAYLOR - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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For just one election cycle now, Whatcom County voters have been able to vote only for the County Council members from their district.

It's a change from the past way of doing things, when voters across the county selected the entire slate of council members from each district in the general election.

County Council members by a 6-1 vote, with Councilman Sam Crawford voting no, placed an amendment before voters to revert back to the old system. Some council members are concerned there wasn't enough of a campaign for both sides last time around and some say they're getting plenty of calls from citizens who don't like the change.

Here are some answers to the basic questions:

Why did the county switch to district-only voting?

Every 10 years, the Whatcom County Charter Review Commission, consisting of elected citizens from around the county, convenes to see if any parts of the charter should be updated.

During the last review in 2005, the commission voted to place an amendment on the ballot seeking to make the switch. It passed the commission by just one vote.

What was the system like before?

County residents already could vote in a district-only election. That is, in the primary, voters in each of the three districts were the only ones to vote for their representatives. They then forwarded their selections on to all county voters for the general election.

What would this new charter amendment do?

It would return the election process back to the old system. Voters in each district would select their top two candidates and send them on to the general election for all county voters to choose.

What is the argument for keeping the current district-only system?

Councilman Crawford, along with many conservatives in the community, argue that district-only voting allows for more direct representation and people in each district will be able to select candidates with their same values. They point out that it's similar to direct representation in Congress. That is, Whatcom County voters select a 2nd Congressional District member, and don't vote for someone in the 8th District, which covers the rural portions of King and Pierce counties.

Crawford and others have argued that voters made a conscious decision to make the change and had plenty of time to learn about the issue before voting. Other council members believe the question put before voters was too much like "legalese" and confused some people about what exactly they were voting on.

What is the argument for going back to countywide voting in the general election?

First, Whatcom County Council members Barbara Brenner and Ward Nelson have both pointed out that district-only voting already happens in the primary. They and other council members, along with other members of the public, believe that the council represents the entire county, and not one portion, on many major issues, so all voters should have a say.

Brenner and others have said that they're hearing more and more from other council members that they don't have to pay attention to certain issues because they don't live in that district. Crawford argues that council members have only been joking when they've said those things.

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POSTED: Monday, Oct. 13, 2008

Whatcom County voters asked to return to voting for all council members

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