Good evening from Clyde Hill Elementary in the heart of the 48th Legislative District (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Clyde Hill, Medina, Hunts Point, Yarrow Point). Tonight, the Democratic precinct committee officers of the 48th have assembled to draw up a list of candidates to succeed Ross Hunter in the Washington State House of Representatives, who recently stepped down from his position in the Legislature to helm the state’s Department of Early Learning.
Due to Hunter’s departure, a vacancy now exists for state representative in the 48th. The Washington State Constitution stipulates that the process for filling a Democratic legislative vacancy begins with the naming of three candidates from the same district and of the same party by the King County Democratic Central Committee (KCDCC), because the 48th falls entirely within King County’s borders.
The WSDCC, of which I am a member, specifies in its bylaws that when a vacancy is declared, the county party chair shall call a special nominating caucus of precinct committee officers from that district for the purpose of drawing up a list of three names for the KCDCC to ratify. That’s what’s happening tonight. I will be updating this post at periodic intervals to summarize the proceedings that are taking place.
7:07 PM: The meeting has been called to order by KCDCC State Committeeman Javier Valdez, who is filling in for KCDCC Chair Rich Erwin. Javier has welcomed everyone to the meeting and is turning the microphone over to DNC Committeeman and parliamentarian David McDonald to explain the rules.
7:20 PM: After hearing a presentation from David, the caucus has just decided what method of voting to use in drawing up the list of three names. The state party offered two different voting methods. The caucus opted to use the first proposed method of voting, which will consist of a set of three elections… one for the first spot on the list, another for the second spot on the list, and still another for the third spot. PCOs may only vote for one candidate on each ballot.
7:25 PM: On to candidate nominations.
- Becky Lewis nominated Patricia (Patty) Kudererer
- Doug Dicharry nominated Kim Allen
- Sue Boone nominated Santiago Ramos
- Karen Tennyson nominated Nick Pernisco
Acting Chair Javier Valdez has closed nominations.
7:50 PM: The speeches have concluded. All thirty-nine precinct committee officers are present (which means we have turnout of one hundred percent!). The first ballots have been cast and are now being counted. We are in recess.
7:57 PM: Here are the results from the first round of voting:
- Patty Kuderer: 25 votes
- Kim Allen: 8 votes
- Santiago: 6 votes
- Nick Pernisco: 0 votes
We don’t need a second ballot because Patty Kuderer received an outright majority.
On to the next round of voting, for the second-ranked spot.
8:04 PM: Results from the second round of voting are as follows:
- Kim Allen: 20 votes
- Santiago Ramos: 14 votes
- Nick Pernisco: 5 votes
Kim received an outright majority, so she will be listed second on the list.
On to the final voting of voting, for the third-ranked spot.
8:14 PM: Results from the third round of voting are as follows:
- Santiago Ramos: 32 votes
- Nick Pernisco: 6 votes
Santiago received an outright majority, so he will be listed third on the list.
And with that, we’re done with the special nominating caucus!
8:16 PM: Javier Valdez just called to order a special meeting of the King County Democratic Central Committee (KCDCC) executive board. A quorum was present. The only item of business was the ratification of the results of the special nominating caucus. This was unanimously agreed to, and the meeting was subsequently adjourned. The names of Patty Kuderer, Kim Allen, and Santiago Ramos will be transmitted for the King County Council for consideration.
One Ping
[…] The Council voted to appoint Kuderer after interviewing her and the other two nominees selected by the Democratic PCOs residing in the 48th District, Kim Allen and Santiago Ramos. Allen, the second choice, had previously made clear that she wished for the Council to respect the first choice of the PCOs and appoint Kuderer, who won an outright majority on the very first round of voting on September 16th. […]