To: King County Charter Review Commission
From: The Leagues of Women Voters of King County
Date: April 24, 2007
The King County Leagues of Women Voters support a form of government that is representative of the areas governed.
Issues on which the Leagues reached agreement after study and discussion are:
1. The regional committees should be continued, their functions reviewed and their recommendations taken into consideration by the Council when making policy. We support a county policy making body with legal authority to establish policy for functions which require solutions across the County.
2. Charter Review Commission recommendations to the County Council should be placed automatically on the next general election ballot.
3. The voters should be given the opportunity to decide whether King County elections should be partisan or non-partisan.
4. The League supports a shortened ballot.
• Positions that require representation should be elective such as the County Council, school boards, and city councils. Several years ago, LWV opposed electing the chief law enforcement officer in the County.
• Positions that require technical skills should be appointive.
The League of Women Voters supports the appointment of the King County Elections Director. King County elections are among the most complex in the nation and more complex than in smaller counties in Washington.
The director must have expertise and experience in the elections process, election law, hardware, software, registration details, and not be affiliated with a political party while serving as elections director.
5. The League of Women Voters supports public financing of campaigns at every level of government.
We believe that the methods of financing political campaigns should ensure the public’s right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office and allow maximum citizen participation in the political process.
These are initial comments. We are open to having more discussions with the commission as your deliberations progress and other issues emerge.
