• Would you like to be considered for an appointed position on your CD's board of supervisors? Please review and follow this Guide to Appointments for Conservation District Applicants.
• Learn about Conservation District Supervisor Responsibilities.
• View lists of supervisor appointment confirmations (2018-2021) by region: Western, Central, Eastern.

Voters with Disabilities

• As a voter with a disability, you can request a reasonable accommodation or assistance to vote.  The Conservation Commission and conservation districts are committed to ensuring accessibility at polling locations, and that you have the opportunity to vote privately and independently.
• Polling locations must meet all of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.  View the ADA checklist for polling locations for more information.
• To request a reasonable accommodation or assistance, please contact your conservation district.

Accessibility concerns

• If you are concerned about the accessibility of a polling location, contact your conservation district or the Conservation Commission's election officer at 360-407-6200.

Register to Vote

• To vote in conservation district elections, voters must be a registered voter in the county where the district is located and must reside within the conservation district boundary.
• If you have not already registered to vote, please do so.  One way to do so is at the Washington State Secretary of State's MyVote web page.  To determine which district you are in, please contact your conservation district for verification.

Voting at a Polling Location

• No voter may seek to influence any other voters within 300 feet of the ballot boxes.  Voters may observe an election but may not interfere with other voters or polling officers.  A voter must sign in on a poll list and provide sufficient information for a polling officer to determine the individual’s eligibility to vote.
• Before receiving a ballot, the identity of a voter must be verified by a polling officer. Acceptable forms of voter identification include:
  • Valid Washington State driver’s license or Valid Washington State identification card; or
  • Any other identification allowed for registering to vote by the Auditor of the County where the conservation district is located.
• A voter who cannot be confirmed at the polling place as eligible to vote may vote, but only on a contested ballot issued by a polling officer.

Procedures and Rules

• Election and Appointment WAC
• Election and Appointment Procedures Manual
• Election Calculator

Forms

Elected supervisor positions

• Candidate information for elected supervisor position (Form PF-A) - Word or PDF
• Nominating petition for elected supervisor position (Form PF-B) - Word or PDF
• Poll list (Form PF-C) - Word or PDF
• Ballot Template (Form PF-D)
• Mid-term appointment to elected position verification of qualifications (Form AF2)

Election e-forms that must be filled out by CD staff

• Conservation district election information (Form EF1)
• Election report (Form EF2)
• Mid-term elected position appointment verification of qualifications (Form AF2)

Appointed supervisor positions

• Conservation district appointed supervisor application (Form AF1)

Elections webinar

• View a recorded Election Webinar hosted by the Washington State Conservation Commission on September 26, 2019 or view slides from the webinar presentation.

Issue Advisories

Election and appointment issue advisories serve to fill the gap that exists between election and appointment rules (RCW Chapter 89.08 and WAC Section 135-110), policies (the Election Manual) and issues that don’t lend themselves easily or at all by establishing a rule or policy. From time-to-time, as needed, the Commission election officer will create issue advisories to address issues that arise related to conservation district elections and appointments.

• IA 01-18 PRA and Absentee Ballot Lists
• IA 02-18 WA Voting Rights Act and CD Elections
• IA 03-19 WA Fair Chance Act and CD Elections
• IA 04-19 Campaign Disclosure

Conservation District Elections and Appointment Committee 

In September 2018, the Commission proposed making changes to the elections and appointment procedures.  A summary of their motions and proposed can be found here: a summary of the Conservation Commission motions from their September 20, 2018 meeting related to conservation district elections and appointments.

The Commission established a committee of conservation district supervisors, conservation district staff, and Commission staff to review these changes and possibly propose others.  The Conservation District Election and Appointment Committee (CDEAC) was created after the September 2018 Conservation Commission meeting. Commission members authorized Commission staff to begin the process to develop, refine, and adopt amendments to the laws and rules related to conservation district election and appointment procedure. The purpose of the CDEAC was to propose to the Commissioners a number of changes and amendments to the laws and rules related to conservation district elections and appointment procedure. The CDEAC was comprised of conservation district supervisors and staff and Commission staff, and met monthly by web-meeting or in-person. View CDEAC meeting dates and materials.

• Draft CDEAC materials available:  The CDEAC has finished its work in July 2019 and proposes the following changes for consideration by the Commission at their September 2019 regular meeting:
  • Draft Proposed WAC changes
  • Draft Proposed RCW change
  • Draft Talking Points for RCW change
  • Draft Election flow chart
  • Draft Election Quality Assurance Plan

Background

• CD elections don't fall under the state statute for general elections (Title 29A RCW) unless specifically identified in the Conservation Commission statute. In fact, RCW 29A.04.330 (1) (b) specifically exempts CDs from general and special elections requirements. Instead, the Conservation Commission is charged with establishing procedures for the elections. To assist conservation districts and the public with the election of conservation district board members, the Conservation Commission established a rule, a manual, and standard forms for conservation districts to use in their elections.
• Learn more about CD Elections and CD Supervisor Responsibilities.

Elections Proviso Report

On March 6, 2014 the State Conservation Commission hosted a webinar to discuss a conservation district elections proviso report. View the webinar. Reports and documents referenced in this webinar include:

• 2015 Elections Proviso Report
• Memo to Districts for Elections Proviso Report
• The Preparation of the Standard State Soil Conservation Districts Law: An Interview with Philip M. Glick
• Washington State Conservation Districts: A Report by the League of Women Voters of Washington