Tuesday, November 3 Americans will take to the polls for the 2020 General Election – with a presidential ticket leading the ballot, all the way down to numerous local races for Board of Education and City Council, among others.
Polling places will open at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and close at 8 p.m. – with many ballots being cast with mail-in procedure this year, the local polling station will be open at the Plainview Public Library, and votes may be cast there, or in person if requested early, at the Pierce County Courthouse.
Sample ballots appear in this week’s edition of the News.
Local races on the ballot will include the Pierce County Commissioner for the Plainview area with a race between James Aschoff (D) and Tom Kuether (R) for the four-year term. Voters will be asked to vote for one.
The Plainview City Council has four candidates available, two of which will appear on the ballot itself, and two write-in candidates. Bryon Alder and Tyler Sanne (incumbent) will be printed on the ballot, but voters can also choose between Damon Wallace and Roschel (Shelley) Sellin, who both filed as write-in candidates. Marking the oval near a name is required, and writing in a name on a provided blank line for the two write-in candidates is necessary.
Voters will be asked to vote for up to two of the available printed and write-in candidates.
The Plainview Board of Education will have four candidates on the ballot, and one available write-in.
Incumbents Mike Sauser and Krista Hanks are joined by Deb Jensen and Chance Anderson on the printed ballot, and Melissa Doerr filed as a write-in. Voters will be asked to mark up to three of the possible candidates and write-in to fill the Board vacancies.
Also appearing on this year’s ballot will be a yes or no decision on a special issue – the “Dissolution of the Pierce County Weed Board.”
Pierce County Clerk Shannon Wragge said that the Commissioners had decided to put the question to the voters since the Board was difficult to fill, and the Board itself has a difficult time meeting quorum. The Commissioners did appoint a Weed Superintendent a few years ago, and that person has been handling the majority of the duties required.
The question poses the removal of just the Weed Board itself – but keeping the Weed Superintendent, who, in last years has been doubling as the Sign Supervisor as well. The Superintendent would continue doing inspections and letters to violators, but would report directly to the Commissioners and seek guidance from them.
There is not expected to be much financial gain or loss by dissolving the Board, just a streamlining of the procedure by eliminating the Board itself.
Because of an error on the ballot language, voters are asked to disregard the “explanation” of the Weed Board vote, and just vote “yes” or “no” to dissolve the board. A yes vote would dissolve it, a no vote would keep it active.