Ballots for the Aug. 1 primary election will be mailed today in Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Completed ballots must be returned by mail or drop box by 8 p.m. Election Day.
Four contests are on the Clallam County primary election ballot: three Sequim School Board seats and one Port Angeles City Council seat.
The only primary contests on the Jefferson County ballot are the Sequim School Board races. The Sequim School District extends slightly into East Jefferson County.
The state’s top-two primary election will decide which candidates in races with three or more running will go on to the general election on Nov. 7. Those who receive the top two votes will go on to the general.
Voters in both counties will cast votes for three nonpartisan positions on the Sequim School Board, two of which have three-way races.
For Position 1, incumbent Larry Jeffryes — a former chemistry and biology teacher who’s served since 2019 — is facing challenges from data technician Jim Shepherd and park ranger John Graham for a four-year term.
Position 4 appointee former principal Maren Halvorsen is running against former educator Dean Christian and former school board candidate Derek Huntington for a two-year, unexpired term.
Lastly in the Sequim School Board race is Position 5 incumbent Michael Rocha running against small business owner Hunter Gilliam for a four-year term. The ballot says Sandra Kellso also is running, but she said she has withdrawn from the race.
Also on the Clallam County ballot is Port Angeles City Council Position 6. Incumbent Navarra Carr is facing challenges from Sequim firefighter Mark Karjalainen and Nicholas Merrigan, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe project manager, for a four-year term.
The partisan race for the District 1 County Commission seat is on the Clallam County ballot. Incumbent Mark Ozias, a Democrat, is up for re-election and running against Republican Stan McClain for a four-year term.
Ballots can be returned by mail or to specially designated election drop boxes located throughout each county.
To find drop boxes near you, and for other information, see https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/162/Elections-Voter-Registration or https://co.jefferson.wa.us/1266/Elections.
Additional voter information can be found at VoteWa.gov; ClallamCountyWa.gov/Elections or Co.Jefferson.Wa.US/Elections.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
