Welcome! 2015 Candidate Webinar will begin at 9:00 a.m.

Pierce County Elections Webinar Team Mike Rooney – Elections Manager Shannon Cortez – Elections Supervisor Brad Pearsall – Elections Clerk (Candidate Filing) Michelle Ackers – Elections Specialist (Voters’ Pamphlet) Dave Heinemann – Elections Specialist (Voter Registration/Data)

Pierce County Elections Webinar Team Dave Heinemann Michelle Ackers Mike Rooney Shannon Cortez Brad Pearsall

Pierce County Elections Webinar Team

Our Goals We want you to: Be fully informed. Begin to write your candidate statement now. File for office and submit voter pamphlet information by the deadlines. Use us – our Elections team and our website as a resource. Don’t wait until the last minute! Can you imagine how you’ll feel if you miss the filing period or aren’t able to have a statement printed in the voters’ pamphlet?

Election Guide For Candidates Everything you need to know is in this guide! Important Dates Open Offices Filing Requirements Statistics Guidelines

2015 Open Offices

2015 Election Dates Primary Election August 4, 2015 General Election November 3, 2015

Online Candidate Filing Brad Pearsall Elections Clerk

Online Filing Starts May 11 at 9:00 a.m. Ends May 15 at 4:00 p.m. Kiosks will be available for use in the customer service lobby.

Confirmation

Notifications You will receive an automatic notification when a candidate files against you. Dave Heinemann PO Box 123, Spanaway, WA 98387(253) Brad Pearsall PO Box 555, Tacoma, WA (253)

Get started now! Update voter registration record, if needed Phone number address Website PO Box Credit/debit card

Public Disclosure Commission The office you are running for and the amount of money collected will determine your reporting requirements. Visit the PDC website for online forms and answers to your questions. Questions should be directed to the PDC. See “Starting Off on the Right Foot” brochure.

Local Voters’ Pamphlet and Elections Website Michelle Ackers Voters’ Pamphlet Coordinator

Deadline for voters’ pamphlet submittal is the Friday after Candidate Filing Week ends. (May 22 nd at 4:30 p.m.) City of Tacoma Candidates – Follow same guidelines as all other candidates. No requirement to collect 10 signatures or $50 printing fee. Candidates must submit their own photo through the online submission. Can’t request we use a photo from a previous pamphlet.

Online Voters’ Pamphlet Submission After you file for office, you’ll receive a link in an that will bring you to this page. Or if you are ready, go directly here after filing for office. If you are filing for an office that crosses county lines, make sure you know the pamphlet requirements and deadlines for each county.

1. Photo Head and shoulders portrait Light colored background Color or black and white No more than five years old 300 DPI (4 x 5 inches) Clothing or insignia that suggests a public office is not allowed. Examples: judicial robes, law enforcement or military uniforms. 1

2. Biography 100 words allocated between the following headings: (Headings do not count toward the word limit.) Elected Experience (Judicial candidates, use Legal/Judicial Experience instead.) Other Professional Experience Education Community Service 2

3. Statement Any candidate that files for office through Pierce County has a 200 word limit for the statement. 3 Pierce County follows the same deadlines and formatting guidelines as the Office of the Secretary of State. Pierce County candidates submit their voters’ pamphlet information once to be included in both the printed pamphlet and online voters’ guide. 200 word statement (Can split into 4 paragraphs!)

Statement Format Use italics to emphasize words or phrases. No other formatting is allowed. Microsoft Word will be used to verify word counts. Each part of a hyphenated word will be counted as a separate word (example: "Around-the-corner" = 3 words). Biographies and statements exceeding word limits will be shortened by deleting full sentences from the end until the limit is reached (Microsoft Word will be used to verify word counts). Count your words carefully. You may not submit a new statement for the General Election. The same statement is used for both the Primary and General Election. Once your statement is submitted, no changes are allowed. 2 3

4. Contact Information The following information will be published with your statement. Contact information does not count toward any word limits. Campaign phone number Campaign Campaign website 4

Tips for Success Take a great photo! YES!! NO!! Biography and Statement – Start now! Check your spelling and watch your word limits. Use formatting – Ok to use italics Ok to use up to four paragraphs in your statement Submit online by May 22nd at 4:30 p.m. Deadline is the deadline! No exceptions.

Who would you vote for?

PierceCountyElections.org

Archived Elections

Voter Registration and Purchasing Data Dave Heinemann Election Specialist

Primary Election Guidelines Partisan Office A Primary Election will be held for each partisan office open for election regardless of the number of candidates filing. Nonpartisan Office A Primary Election will be held if three or more candidates file for a nonpartisan office. The two candidates with the most votes advance to the General Election. The top vote getter appears first. Superior Court See chart in Election Guide for Candidates.

Signs The State, County and individual cities and towns have their own regulations regarding sign size and placement. The PDC has rules regarding political advertising. For more information contact the jurisdiction. Statewww.wsdot.wa.gov/operations/trafficwww.wsdot.wa.gov/operations/traffic (360) County Illegal roadside signs (253) Potential sign violation on private property (253)

Voter Registration How Can I Register? Online at (as long as you have a current Washington State ID). Pierce County Auditor’s Office. Any Department of Licensing Office. Print a registration form online. Forms are available at: Public Schools. Public Libraries. City and Town Clerk’s Office. State Offices. City of Tacoma Fire Stations.

Voter Registration For your information: Forms are also available in Spanish. Forms in other languages are available on the Secretary of State’s website. Check the registration form for any missing information. Signature, date of birth, physical address, check boxes at top of form. Allow the voter to complete and correct.

Registration Guidelines Voters can choose to mail their own forms or they may allow you to be responsible for their submittal. Forms must be submitted to the Auditor’s Office or Secretary of State within five business days. All forms must be received in our office or be postmarked no later than 29 days prior to Election Day. In person registration is available up to 8 days prior to the election (not currently registered in state). Any voter can change their address in Pierce County by phone, changes made after the 29-day cutoff will be effective for the next election.

Voter Data Voter data is available for purchase. Voter data on a CD provides you the most flexibility. We can if your system allows. Information does not include phone numbers or addresses. Private list vendors may have this information from other sources. Information is available for political purposes only. Information is not available for commercial use. Turnaround time is generally 24 hours. All orders must be pre-paid.

Voter Data What you get for your $$ Contains name, residence and mailing address, voting history, date of birth, but no party affiliation. Tab delimited text file can be imported into any database application. Voter data: Any district is $5.00. – Even the entire County.

Match Backs This data identifies voters who have returned their ballot. You can save time and money by targeting. Example: 1.Joe Smith returns his ballot the day after he received it. 2.You purchase the match back file and see this. 3. The next day you mail out a campaign flyer, but you don’t mail to Joe Smith because he’s already voted. Cost savings to you! Smart work!

Match Backs Military, Overseas and Out of County voters are mailed 45 days prior to each election. Local ballots are mailed 18 days prior to each election. Match backs are available the first Monday after the local ballots are mailed. Match back data is ed to you. Cost = $5.00 for each day requested.

Maps Legislative and County Council. – 36” x 48” = $5.00. Individual Precinct Maps. – 8.5” x 11” = $0.15 each. Available online.

Ballot Drop Boxes Open 24/7 as soon as ballots are mailed. 30 across the county. Close at 8:00 p.m. on election night. Over half of the ballots are returned at a drop box.

Ballot Drop Box Locations

Pierce County Auditor’s Office recognized for ballot drop box program Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, Elections Supervisor Shannon Cortez, and Elections Specialist Dave Heinemann accepted a national award in San Francisco on Thursday, Aug. 21, for their office’s work on the highly-successful ballot drop-box program. The Guardian Award, given by the National Association of Election Officials, recognizes a practice that exemplifies the organization’s principles and standards of conduct.

Voting Centers Three locations. Open 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on election day. Voting Centers are an extension of our main office. Services include: Accessible voting using a touch screen. Ballot deposit site. Provisional ballots. Voting assistance from election staff.

Election Results Election results will be posted to our website at about 8:15 p.m. on election night. Updated results will be posted daily. Majority of ballots will be counted by the Friday following the election. County results certified Primary – August 18, 2015 General – November 24, 2015

Questions? Pierce County Elections Division VOTE (8683) PierceCountyElections.org