Election Steps for Candidates - Candidate Information - Elections

From the Clark County Auditor’s Office

Spring/Summer 2007

This guide is published by the Auditor’s Office for candidates planning to run for elective office. We hope that it will answer some of the most frequently asked questions. Please call our staff at (360) 397-2345 if you need more information.

1. How do I become a candidate for office?

To officially file for office, you must complete a "Declaration of Candidacy" and file it at the Clark County Elections Department, 1408 Franklin Street, Vancouver. This filing must include the filing fee (if one is required).

2. What are the qualifications for being a candidate?

Basic qualifications for most offices are simple. The candidate must be a registered voter residing in the jurisdiction in which she/he wants to be elected. In addition, to run for office in a code city, a candidate must have lived within the code city for one year before the date of the election. Candidates running for the Vancouver City council or mayor must have lived within the City of Vancouver for two years before the date of the election, as required by the Vancouver City Charter.

3.When do I file as a candidate?

The in person filing period begins on Monday, June 4, 2007, and continues through the following Friday, June 8, 2007. In addition, filings will be accepted by mail if received no sooner than two weeks before the beginning of the filing period and no later than the last day of filing.

4. How do I file by mail?

Obtain a filing form the Clark County Elections Department by calling (360) 397-2345. Complete the form. Your signature must be notarized. This can be done in most banks or attorneys' offices, among other places. If there is a filing fee, that fee must accompany the "Declaration of Candidacy" in order for your filing to be valid. Please do not send cash through the mail. Make checks payable to: Clark County Election Reserve Fund.

5. What if I mail my form in plenty of time and it is not received until after the end of the filing period?

Court cases have ruled that to be valid, a filing must be received by the County Auditor’s Office, Elections Department, before the end of the filing period, regardless of circumstances, such as slow or wrong delivery or loss by the post office. If you mail your filing document, it is a good idea to call the Elections Department at (360) 397-2345 to make sure it was received.

6. If I cannot come into Vancouver myself and do not want to mail the Declaration of Candidacy, what can I do?

Anyone may file your "Declaration of Candidacy" for you. But remember that if a friend or associate is given the document and then forgets to file it before the end of the filing period, you are not a candidate. If you do not bring the declaration in yourself, be sure your signature is notarized and that the filing fee, if any, is included.

7. What happens during the week of filing when the "Declaration of Candidacy" form is submitted?

Office hours for filing are 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM. No filings may be made except during those hours. The doors of the Elections Department will be unlocked at 8:00 AM and promptly locked at 5:00 PM. Declarations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis during the day. The declaration will be checked for completeness. If the form is not complete, we will ask the candidate to complete the form. Be sure to write the position or district number of the open position in the correct location on the declaration form.

There will be lists available which will give the positions subject to the election, as given to us by the jurisdictions. The elections staff will look up the candidate’s registration information by computer to verify that the information given is the same as that appearing on the registration file. Election staff persons are authorized to notarize "Declarations of Candidacy" during filing week. An updated report listing all candidates who have filed will be available on a daily basis in the Elections Department and on our Web site at: http://clarkvotes.org .

8. What is the fee to file for office?

The fee is l% of the annual salary. If there is an annual salary of less than $1,000 the filing fee is $10.00. Refer to the 2007 Election Guidelines (PDF - 111K) which includes a list of offices open for filing, annual salaries and filing fees. If you are uncertain, please call the district involved or the Elections Department at (360) 397-2345.

9. What if I want to be a candidate but cannot afford to pay a filing fee?

State law provides that if a candidate declares an inability to pay the fee, the candidate may file a Supplemental Nominating Petition containing at least one signature per dollar of the filing fee. If the signatures are valid, the petition will take the place of the filing fee.

10.What is a "valid signature" in the context of the Supplemental Nominating Petition?

A valid signature is one belonging to a registered voter in the jurisdiction in which the candidate wants to file for office. Therefore, if you want to run for the Vancouver City Council only voters registered in the city of Vancouver may sign your petition.

11. Where do I get the Supplemental Nominating Petition pages?

The Elections Department has these pages. One page will be given to a candidate. Copying must be done at the candidate’s expense.

12. When do I turn in the signature petition?

The Supplemental Nominating Petition pages must be presented when you file your "Declaration of Candidacy" during the week of filing. The "Declaration" will be accepted provisionally. That is, if there are not sufficient valid signatures, the filing will not be accepted and your name will not be placed on the ballot. If you submit your filing and petition pages on the first day of filing, we will attempt to check the signatures within 48 hours. In this way, if you are short some signatures, you will have the opportunity to gather more.

13. What if I was not able to get enough valid signatures. May I use cash to make up the difference?

No. The filing fee must be either all money or all signatures. State law makes no provision for a combination of both.

14. What happens if I decide to run for a position different from the one for which I filed?

Come in to the Elections Department on or before the closing of the filing period and complete a "Withdrawal of Candidacy" form for the position for which you no longer wish to run. Then file another "Declaration of Candidacy" form for the position for which you want to run. You must pay the filing fee again. The filing fee may not be transferred to another position, nor is it refundable.

15. What if I decide I don't want to run for office after I file?

Candidates may withdraw their candidacy no later than the Thursday following the end of the filing period by filing a Withdrawal of Candidacy form with the Elections Department, 1408 Franklin Street, Vancouver. The filing fee is not refundable. If a candidate decides to withdraw after the deadline, it is too late to have their name removed from the ballot administratively. The candidate would have to petition the Superior Court for removal of a name. If you are too late to make an official withdrawal, you should still inform your opponents and the PDC and do a press release to inform the media that you are no longer seeking the office.

16. What if no one files for one of the offices subject to election?

If no one has filed for a non-partisan office by the end of the regular filing period, a Special Filing Period will be announced and publicized. This special 3-day filing period will normally occur during the week after the last day to file for office. Only those non-partisan offices for which no filing was received will be open for filing during the Special Filing Period.

17. When do Public Disclosure laws consider me a candidate?

According to state Public Disclosure law, a person becomes a candidate when one of the following events occurs: the candidate publicly announces their candidacy, begins collecting or spending money for a campaign, contracts for campaign goods or services, or officially files for office during filing week.

18. What are the public disclosure requirements?

Public disclosure requirements will vary according to the size of the jurisdiction in which you are a candidate and the amount of money which you plan to spend. For jurisdictions with fewer than 1,000 registered voters as of last year’s general election, there are no PDC filing requirements. For jurisdictions with more than 1,000 and less than 5,000 registered voters, only the Personal Financial Affairs Statement (PDC Form F-1) will be necessary. For jurisdictions of more than 5,000 registered voters, the Registration: Candidate / Candidate Committee (C-1) form and the F-1 form are both required. The number and frequency of reports will be minimal unless you plan to spend over $2,000.

19. Where do I get the PDC forms? What if I need help in filling out the forms?

PDC forms may be obtained from the PDC in Olympia or from the County Elections Department, 1408 Franklin Street, Vancouver. These forms are free, and there is no charge to file the completed documents. If you need help in filling out the PDC forms, we suggest you call the PDC in Olympia. If you have been unable to find an answer to your specific question in the instruction booklet, you probably need specialized advice that the Elections Department would not be able to provide. The PDC phone number is (360) 753-1111 or toll-free (877) 601-2828. State law requires that all candidates and political committees that spent $25,000 or more in 2003, or expect to do so during 2004, will be required to file their 2004 reports by electronic means starting January 1, 2004. See the PDC web site for more details.

20. Where do I send the completed Public Disclosure forms?

Send the original to the PDC in Olympia. The address is: Public Disclosure Commission, P.O. Box 40908, Olympia, WA 98504-0908. Send a copy of all PDC filings to:

County Elections Department
PO Box 8815
Vancouver WA 98666-8815.

Copies may be mailed or delivered in person to 1408 Franklin Street, Vancouver.

Exceptions:
1. Candidates are not required to file a copy of the Financial Affairs Statement (F-1) with the county.
2. Candidates who file forms electronically to the PDC do not need to file copies at the County Elections Department.

21. Will there be a voters' pamphlet published for the elections?

It is expected that there will be a local voters’ pamphlet published for both the primary and general election this year.

22. Will I be included in the local voters’ pamphlet?

Under state law, all jurisdictions that have offices or measures on the ballot will be required to participate in the county-produced voters’ pamphlet unless a waiver is granted. Information concerning participation in the pamphlet is sent to all county jurisdictions in June of the election year. Therefore, unless the office you are filing for is exempt from the primary or the jurisdiction in which you are seeking an office requests a waiver from participation in the voters’ pamphlet due to financial hardship, you will be included in both the primary and general election pamphlet. (Non-partisan offices for cities, towns, and minor taxing districts are exempt from the primary if only one or two candidates file for the office.) If exempted, you will appear in only the general election pamphlet.

23. What must I do to get my photo and statement in the voters’ pamphlet?

You will be informed of this at the time of filing. You will be given information about photo specifications and the accepted format and length of the candidate’s statement. Please follow these specifications and observe the announced deadline.

24. What kinds of information or services can the Elections Department provide for candidates?

The Elections Department can provide the following information for a fee:

Maps of individual precincts. (Large maps of districts are available from the Assessor’s Office, G.I.S. Division located at 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver).
Lists of registered voters by districts or precincts.
Lists of absentee voters for the jurisdiction.
Labels of polling place voters who have requested an absentee ballot.
Lists of absentee voters who have turned in their absentee ballot.
Results of past elections.
Copies of PDC filings.

An estimate of fees will be provided upon request.

Information or services that are provided free include:

Registration materials.
Blank PDC forms and instruction booklets.
Access to PDC forms filed by candidates, committees or PAC’s.
Access to various information regarding past elections.
Blank Absentee Ballot request forms.

More information regarding candidate filing procedures can be found at the Secretary of State web site.

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