Candidate filing opens May 15

RITZVILLE/EPHRATA — Positions on city and town councils, school boards, fire and hospital districts will be among the offices open for election in November 2023. Filing week for those positions begins May 15, but people can file by mail from now until the end of the filing week, according to information from the Grant County Auditor’s Office.

City council seats are open in every community in Grant and Adams counties, along with the mayor’s jobs in Mattawa, George, Soap Lake, Grand Coulee, Warden, Ritzville, Hatton and Washtucna. Positions also will be up for election in local school districts, most hospital and fire districts, and most port districts.

A list of open positions is available on the websites of the Adams County and Grant County auditors under the elections tab, listed as “offices open for filing.”

Some offices include a filing fee, and that fee must be paid when candidates file, whether by mail, online or in person. Filing fees are not refundable, according to a press release from the Adams County Auditor.

Candidates must be registered voters in the jurisdiction up for election and must meet residency requirements for the office for which they are filing. Candidates must provide a valid email address.

“It is highly encouraged that when filing for office, you provide a campaign mailing address, telephone number and website,” according to information on the Grant County Auditor’s website. “If you do not provide a campaign mailing address, your voter registration mailing address will be published online in the list of candidates who have filed.”

Candidates may withdraw up to 5 p.m. May 22.

Most offices that attract more than two candidates will go to the primary election, scheduled for Aug. 1. Voters will be able to drop off primary ballots beginning July 14.

“Candidates are encouraged to file for office online,” the Adams County Auditor’s press release said.

Online filing opens at 9 a.m. May 15 and is open continuously through 4 p.m. May 19. People can file on either the Adams County or Grant County websites under the “elections” tab.

People who want to file in person during filing week in Adams County can file at the Adams County Elections office, 106 W. Main St., Ritzville. The office is open from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Grant County candidates can file in person, beginning May 15, at the auditor’s office in the Grant County Courthouse, 35 C St. NW, Ephrata. People can file in person until 5 p.m. May 19.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.