Primary vs General Election in Cheney
Hi folks! Happy Primary Election season!
I've been hearing lots of questions lately on who's running and why only one position is listed on the August Primary Ballot and thought I could help shed some light on this topic.
In Washington State, local positions like City Council, Mayor, and School Board only appear on the Primary Election ballot if three or more candidates are running for the same seat. The Primary Election is then used to narrow the field down to the top two candidates, who will advance to the November General Election.
This year, Cheney has a number of local races, which is awesome! Up for election are:
- Mayor
- 3 City Council seats
- 2 School Board seats
All but one of these positions have competition but only one seat has three candidates running. (Full disclosure: that’s City Council Position 4, the seat I’m running for.) Because of that, City Council Position 4 is the only Cheney race on the August Primary ballot.
The image below is from the Spokane County Elections website and shows the list of Cheney candidates. I’ve highlighted the groupings to help clarify how many candidates are running for each position.
After Tuesday’s Primary Election, the Position 4 race will be trimmed to the top two candidates, who will then appear on the November ballot.
In November, all positions up for election will appear on the General Election ballot. That gives everyone some time to learn more about each candidate, what they stand for, and who you believe will best serve Cheney over the next four years.
I hope this helps! Don’t forget to return your Primary ballot by Tuesday, August 5. You can:
- Drop it off at the Cheney Library in the official ballot drop box before 8:00 PM, or
- Mail it, no postage required, it just needs to be postmarked by Tuesday.
Local races may not get as much attention as national ones, but they often have more direct impact on our daily lives. And here in Cheney, races have been decided by just a handful of votes—so yes, every vote truly counts.
Thanks for being engaged and making your voice heard!