Don’t elect election boss
The Leagues of Women Voters of Seattle and King County South urge you to vote against King County Charter Amendment 1 [“King County Charter amendments: substance and popcorn,” editorial, Oct. 9].
This amendment adds an elected elections director to King County government for the purpose of running our elections department.
Currently, our elections director is appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county council. The director is accountable to the elected county executive and can be immediately replaced for poor job performance. The council regularly reviews the elections department performance through oversight and review of the budget.
The King County elections director needs to be a qualified professional administrator with a full understanding of the technical challenges facing the 21st century.
We can see the potential danger of conflict of interest if the person managing our elections is forced to spend time with fundraising and campaigning.
We support keeping an appointed elections director.
— Denise Smith, Seattle