23^rd Chair's Report – July 19, 2024

Time to VOTE! The ballots have been mailed and you should have received yours by now. If not, please contact the Auditor’s office at 360-337-7128 and press 1 (bypass recorded message). Or you can email: auditor@kitsap.gov or go to the website: Kitsap.gov/elections.

Your ballot needs to be in the mail and postmarked by August 6 or you can put your ballot in a ballot drop box before 8 pm on August 6. Regardless of which way you get your ballot to the auditor’s office, just make sure you vote and get it in by August 6! Remember, every vote counts!!

All of our 23^rd Democratic delegation have opponents in this primary. We need you to vote and keep our delegation blue. The only way we stay blue is if we vote blue. So, please do your part and vote for our Democrats!

We are also in the midst of the active summer calendar. There are events happening almost every weekend that are opportunities for us to be present and let folks know about our party and candidates. Please do your part and volunteer to spend a shift at a booth at Pride events, the Kitsap County fair, Chief Seattle Days and/or the Blackberry festival. We need to be out and present whenever possible. This is not the time to rely on someone else stepping up, we all need to step up. Come November 6, we cannot be having a bunch of “if only…” conversations. We must do all we can now and make November 6 a day of celebration.

On an entirely different note, once again there are recriminations being made that accuse people of saying things that are not true or accurate and that cast very negative pictures of people who are running for office. And, this is occurring on social media which is not a platform known for fair and balanced reporting.

I ask everyone involved in any part of this, please STOP! Truly, if you cannot find something positive or factual to say, please don’t say anything. And, I do mean facts, not suppositions. Where is it documented that someone said such and such? Don’t rely on “I heard…”

Trust me, I understand the inclination to fight against a perceived wrong but all it does is perpetuate the issue. Do your best to rise above it and let it go. STOP stirring the pot. Stop the exchange especially as it’s clear nothing is being resolved appropriately.

People are now voting. Let that process finish. We are better than this.

Val, Chair - 23^rd LD