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Amendment No. 8 envisions...
The Seattle Times
Change offices to nonpartisan...
The Seattle PI
substance and popcorn...
The Seattle Times
Approve Charter Amendment 8...
The Seattle Times
King County: No party favors
The Seattle PI
Non-Partisan County Government
Improves voter choice by allowing voters to select from all candidates, instead of having to pick-a-party.
Voting is about choice. The pick-a-party primary has forced voters into a box. Nonpartisan elections allow voters to support the best candidate, not a political party.
Increases competition in elections by reducing the barriers to candidacy.
In 2005, only five newcomers entered the race against the recently reduced nine-member county council where all nine seats were up for election, leaving two incumbents unopposed. In 2007, two of the four county councilmembers up for election ran unopposed.
Makes government accountable to the people, not political parties.
Non-partisan elections force officials to listen to all voters, not just those voting in their party’s primary election or closed party caucuses.
Strengthens partnerships between King County and city councils, fire, sewer, hospital, utility, and water districts, which are all nonpartisan.
There is no such thing as a Republican pothole or a Democratic stop light. The day-to-day responsibilities of county government have little to do with partisan ideologies and everything to do with service.