Editorials

Here are the Tri-City Herald Edit Board’s recommendations for the Nov. 8 election

By The Tri-City Herald Editorial Board

Updated November 7, 2022 9:40 AM

The Nov. 8 election will be here before you know it, so if you haven’t voted yet it’s time to get cracking.

And if you are unfamiliar with the names on your ballot, there is still time to do your research.

To help with that, the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board has published election recommendations in 15 races for important local, state and federal offices.

This is not our attempt to tell people how to vote. Rather, we are trying to provide another tool Tri-Citians can use when they are trying to gather information.

The Voters’ Pamphlet that is mailed to people’s homes is a good start. And it’s always a good idea to check out the candidates’ websites and their social media.

In addition, the League of Women Voters of Benton-Franklin Counties has a list of recorded debates that are available online.

But the combination of our editorial recommendations and the recording of our candidate interviews are especially telling.

Our format is conversational. Without a formal structure, there’s give-and-take between our editorial board and the candidates that’s more personal than a formal debate.

Among the most contentious are races for U.S. Senate between Democrat Sen. Patty Murray and Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley.

At the state level, the choice for Washington Secretary of State is between Democrat Steve Hobbs and Julie Anderson, who is nonpartisan and says having someone with a party label in charge of elections is like having a baseball umpire with the same jersey as one of the teams.

Also of note is the race for Benton County prosecutor. Democrat Andy Miller is retiring after 36 years, leaving the door open for someone new to take over. Republican attorneys Ryan Lukson and Eric Eisinger are vying for the job.

In Franklin County, there is a rematch between Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier and former Commissioner Rick Miller.

And there are many more.

So if your ballot is lost on the counter somewhere, dig it out and fill it out. The safest way to turn it in at this point is to skip the post office and drop it in a ballot drop box if you can.

And don’t wait until the last possible minute.

Benton County Republicans, in a video posted to their Facebook page, recommended voters wait until Nov. 7 to drop their ballots off at the Benton County Voting Center, at 2600 N. Columbia Center Blvd. in Richland.

Apparently there is some unfounded conspiracy theory that fraudsters will manipulate voting systems to rig results for Democrats if they have seen how many Republican votes have been returned early, according to the Associated Press.

But using ballot drop boxes are the best way avoid waiting in line, which is what is likely to happen if throngs of people end up going directly to the voting center.

No matter how you decide to turn in your ballot, just be sure to vote.

Here is a rundown of our recommendations.

Federal

U.S. Senate, WA state — Patty Murray (D)

U.S. Congress, 4th District — Dan Newhouse (R)

State

WA Secretary of State — Julie Anderson (NP)

State Legislature

8th District Senate — Matt Boehnke (R)

8th District House, Position 1 — Stephanie Barnard (R)

8th District House, Position 2 — April Connors (R)

16th District House, Position 1 — Jeff Strickler (D)