General Election Pierce County November 7, 2017 Official Local Edition 1 - Tacoma and West Pierce County Voters’ Pamphlet Look for Your Ballot October 20 MessageMessage from from the the Auditor Auditor Dear Pierce County Voter - Leaves are turning. The Seahawks are playing. And voter registration events are in full swing. All signs that fall has arrived! There’s always a big push to register voters before the November Election. It’s no accident that National Voter Registration Day is September 26th, 2017. And now through October, the Pierce County Auditor’s Offi ce is mounting a “500,000 Voters” campaign. We’re determined to break the half-million mark for active registered voters. Washington State’s voter registration rate is quite healthy, regularly in the top quarter of the nation. During the 2016 General Election we ranked 10th in the nation for voter turnout, with a registration rate of 77.1%. Pierce County followed very closely with 76.8% voter registration. We shouldn’t rest on our laurels. Making voter registration easy is the fi rst necessary step to- ward voting and it deserves our attention. If we narrow our focus to the voting eligible population, you’ll fi nd that we’ve registered rough- ly 83% of the eligible population. That leaves just 17% eligible adults to register. The low hang- ing fruit has been harvested. We’re going to need a ladder to reach the rest! The legislature and election administrators are considering several different solutions: • Automatic Registration – individuals with an enhanced driver’s license, commercial license, etc. (where citizenship has been verifi ed) would be automatically registered, unless they choose to opt-out. • 16 and 17-Year Old Preregistration – this in an expansion of Motor Voter. When teens apply for their driver’s license, they’d be offered to sign up to vote, when they turn 18. • Same Day Registration does exactly what it says. Eligible unregistered citizens could go to the Auditor’s Offi ce on Election Day, register to vote, and then cast a ballot. Fifteen states allow some variation of same day registration. As election administrators evaluate these options, everyone should keep in mind that voter reg- istration doesn’t necessarily result in better turnout. As our voter registration universe grows, our turnout will drop. The fact of the matter is that people must want to vote. Voter registration deserves our atten- tion, but motivating people to "return a ballot," even in the effortless State of Washington, is the greater challenge. Julie Anderson 253-798-3189 [email protected] 2 What's Inside New Voting System ............................................4 Clover Park School District No. 400 .........61 - 62 Civic Pierce County .............................................5 Peninsula School District No. 401 ............62 - 63 TV Tacoma Forums/Video Voters' Pamphlet .....5 Franklin Pierce School District No. 402 ....64 - 65 Ballot Drop Boxes - Postage Free .................6 - 7 Bethel School District No. 403 .........................66 Voting Centers ...................................................8 Fife School District No. 417 .......................67 - 68 Not registered to vote? .......................................9 Who donates to campaigns? .............................9 Fire Districts ____________________________________________ East Pierce Fire and Rescue ......................69 - 70 Fire Protection District No. 3 ............................71 Pierce County Fire Protection District No. 5 .....................72 - 73 Proposed Charter Amendment No. 46 ............10 Fire Protection District No. 6 .....................73 - 74 Proposed Charter Amendment No. 47 ............11 Fire Protection District No. 10 ..........................75 Port of Tacoma ...........................................12 - 14 Fire Protection District No. 13 ...................75 - 76 ____________________________________________ Fire Protection District No. 14 ..........................76 Fire Protection District No. 16 ..........................77 Cities and Towns Fire Protection District No. 27 ..........................78 DuPont ........................................................15 - 19 ____________________________________________ Fircrest ........................................................20 - 23 Gig Harbor .............................................24 - 28 Park and Recreation Districts Lakewood ...................................................29 - 32 Anderson Island Park and Recreation Dist. ....79 Milton ..........................................................33 - 36 Key Peninsula Metropolitan Park District........80 Ruston .........................................................37 - 38 Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma.......81 - 82 Steilacoom .................................................39 - 41 Peninsula Metropolitan Park District ........83 - 84 Tacoma .......................................................42 - 47 ____________________________________________ University Place .........................................48 - 52 ____________________________________________ Water Districts East Gig Harbor Water District ........................85 School Districts Lakewood Water District...................................86 Steilacoom Hist. School Dist. No. 1 ........ 53 - 55 ____________________________________________ Puyallup School District No. 3 ..................56 - 57 Tacoma School District No. 10 ........................58 Sewer District University Place School Dist. No. 83 ........59 - 60 Wollochet Harbor Sewer District .....................87 The statements in the pamphlet are printed exactly as submitted. No spelling, grammatical or other corrections have been made. The Pierce County Auditor's Offi ce does not confi rm that the statements printed are true or fact. The candidate or campaign committee is responsible for content. Your ballot will only contain the races and issues that you are eligible to vote on based on where you live. You don't have to vote the entire ballot. You can leave any contest or issue blank if you are uncertain or don't feel informed enough to make a decision. You are not required to vote every race or issue on your ballot. Don't worry, we'll count every vote you marked. 3 New Voting System After a year-long search and selection process, the Pierce County Auditor’s Offi ce has pur- chased a new election system. This represents Pierce County’s fi rst major investment in a new tabulation system in over 20 years. The purchase was fully funded through an election replacement account authorized by the Pierce County Council. The Clear Ballot, ClearVote system has three components: ClearCount - performs ballot scanning and tabulation and is the hallmark of the new system. ClearCount moves Pierce County into digital scan technology. ClearDesign – is the ballot de- sign software, and will change the look of the ballot. Voters will no longer “connect the arrow.” Instead, voters will fi ll in an oval, which is more familiar to the general population, easier to mark, and similar to tests taken in public schools. ClearAccess - is a modern acces- sible ballot-marking device that will be available for voters living with disabilities, who seek assis- tance at Pierce County’s Voting Centers. Clear Ballot Video https://youtu.be/Jse71D3KIao Questions? PierceCountyElections.org [email protected] (253) 798-VOTE (8683) (800) 446-4979 4 Civic Pierce County - Free Downloadre Your ballot, your elected offi cials, and your election information in the palm of your hand. • See voter information and history. • Get ballot confi rmation. • Find drop boxes and voting centers. • Get appointed to boards and commissions. • Contact your elected offi cials. TV Tacoma Candidate Forums and Video Voters' Pamphlet TV Tacoma will once again host and produce candidate forums. Candidate forums and the Video Voters' Pamphlet will be televised for the following offi ces in the 2017 General Election: • Port of Tacoma. • City of Tacoma. • Tacoma School District No. 10. • Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma. Forums are moderated by the League of Women Voters. Questions are prepared by the Community Council of Tacoma. The Video Voters' Pamphlet features candidates who were given an opportunity to tape a three minute presentation about themselves. Look for the QR code at the bottom of the candidate's statement. Scan the code with your smartphone and you will be taken to the TV Tacoma Special Presentation page. 5 Ballot Drop Boxes - No Stamp Required Open 24-hours from October 20 through November 7. All drop boxes close at 8:00 p.m. on November 7, 2017. Anderson Island Edgewood Lakewood Anderson Island Park and Ride Edgewood City Hall Lakewood City Hall Yoman Rd (near Villa Beach Rd) 2224 104th Ave E 6000 Main St SW Anderson Island, WA 98303 Edgewood, WA 98372 Lakewood, WA 98499 Lakewood (SR 512) Bonney Lake Fife Park and Ride Bonney Lake (South) Fife City Hall 10417 South Tacoma Way Park and Ride 5411 23rd St E Lakewood, WA 98499 Sky Island Dr E & 184th Ave E Fife, WA 98424 Bonney Lake, WA 98391 Orting Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula Orting Public Safety Building Browns Point/ Gig Harbor Fire Station 401 Washington Ave SE Northeast Tacoma 6711 Kimball Dr Orting, WA 98360 NE Police Substation Gig Harbor, WA 98335 4731 Norpoint Way NE Tacoma, WA 98422 Key Peninsula Fire Station #46 Parkland/Spanaway 8911 Key Peninsula Hwy, KPN Parkland/Spanaway Library Lakebay, WA 98349 13718 Pacifi c Ave S Buckley Tacoma, WA 98444 Buckley Library New! Pt. Fosdick Safeway 123 S River