Candidate filing week starts Monday, ends next Friday

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 1, 2026

Candidate filing week begins Monday at 8 a.m., and declarations of candidacy and full payment must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday.

The 18-day primary voting period begins July 17 and runs through Primary Day, Aug. 4. The General Election’s voting period starts Oct. 16 and lasts until election day on Nov. 3.

During the filing period, eligible Washingtonians can declare candidacy for over 16,700 seats ranging from precinct committee officers to seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Candidates can register online, by mail, or in person through the Office of the Secretary of State for any of the 155 federal and state offices.

In addition to the 10 races for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, eligible individuals have the opportunity to declare candidacy for seats in the Washington State Legislature. This year, 24 seats in the Senate and all 98 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election.

All other candidates file through the county elections office that position resides in. Applicants are encouraged to file online. Complete information about open offices and filing fees is available on the Office of the Secretary of State’s Elections website.

“Running for office at the local, state, or federal level is an opportunity to make a direct difference in your communities,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “Online filing makes declaring candidacy easier and more accessible than ever for all interested Washingtonians.”

Applicants filing by mail can print a Declaration of Candidacy form and mail it along with a check payable to the Office of the Secretary of State, P.O. Box 40229, Olympia, WA 98504-0229. State candidates also have the option of filing in person between May 4 and May 8 at the Legislative Building, located at 416 Sid Snyder Ave. SW in Olympia.

Filing information and state Voters’ Pamphlet guidelines are available online in the State Candidate Guide. A complete list of FAQs and deadlines is available on the Candidate Filing FAQ page.

For filing questions, contact the Elections office at (800) 448-4881 or elections@sos.wa.gov.

Grays Harbor contests

Several seats of interest for Grays Harbor residents are in play for the 2026 election cycle including Congressional District 6 (Emily Randall), both seats in state Legislative District 19 (Jim Walsh, Joel McEntire), both seats in state Legislative District 24 (Adam Bernbaum, Steve Tharinger), Grays Harbor County Assessor (Dan Lindgren), Auditor (Joe MacLean), Clerk (Kym Foster), Coroner (George Kelley), Prosecutor (Jason Walker), Sheriff (Darrin Wallace) and Treasurer (Shawn Hill), both District Court Judge seats (Megan Valentine, Andrea Vingo), and a PUD Commissioner (Jon Martin) slot. Tharinger recently announced he would not be seeking reelection.

Lindgren, the incumbent county assessor, recently announced his reelection campaign and a party switch from Democrat to Republican. Foster (D) announced her reelection campaign earlier this week. The county treasurer position has been filled by appointee Shawn Hill (D) since last July, and Jason Walker (D) has been serving as county prosecuting attorney since his appointment in February. Georgia Stearns (D) filled in as the interim after Norma Tillotson’s resignation.

In March, former Grays Harbor County Commissioner Wes Cormier (R) announced his candidacy for county treasurer, and while Republicans Charlee Paull, Daniel Crawford and J.R. Streifel have been actively campaigning for auditor, prosecuting attorney and District 3 county commissioner, respectively, for several months. Streifel interviewed for Vickie Raines’ vacant District 3 seat on the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday.

According to Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) filings, incumbent Grays Harbor County Sheriff Darrin Wallace (no party affiliation) intends to run for reelection. Although no formal announcement has been made, Wallace campaign signs have been cropping up as of late. Bryan Lane (no party affiliation), Stearns, and Walker have filed with the PDC indicating runs at the prosecuting attorney position, while Coroner George Kelley has filed indicating his intent to run for reelection.

As for the state legislative races, Walsh (R) and McEntire (R) have filed with the PDC, and Aberdeen City Councilor Kevin Moynihan (D) announced his campaign to challenge Walsh in March. James O’Hagan (R) and Terry Carlson (D) have filed with the PDC for the District 19 races. In addition to Bernbaum (D), independents Marcia Kelbon and Ted Bowen, Republican Aiden Hamilton, and Democrats Kaylee Kuehn, Mark Hodgson and Patrick DePoe have filed with PDC for the District 24 races.

According to Ballotpedia, Republicans Teresa Fox and Leon Lawson are challenging U.S. Rep. Randall for her District 6 seat.

April 28 Special Election Results as of Friday morning, May 1

Sixteen counties in Washington state voted in April 28’s special election, including Grays Harbor County, which had two measures on the ballot pass. The County Canvassing Board will certify the April 28 special election results on Saturday, May 9.

City of Hoquiam Proposition No. 1

Bonds for new fire truck

Proposition No. 1 authorized the city to acquire and equip a new pumper fire truck for use in the fire and emergency response by the city, to issue general obligation bonds in the principal amount of not more than $1.2 million maturing within a maximum of 15 years from the date of issue, and to levy excess property taxes annually to repay the bonds.

The approximate cost to citizens is $12 per $100,000 assessed value.

Approved: 622 (55%)

Rejected: 516(45%)

Fire Protection District No. 12 — EMS Levy

Serving Central Park, Brady, Wynoochee Valley and rural Montesano

Yes: 276 (80%)

No: 69 (20%)