Meet your county and state candidates at East Whatcom election events

This election coverage is offered free to all readers as a public service by your local Cascadia Daily News. Please support truly local news by donating to CDN or subscribing here.

Even in the age of social media campaigns and 24-hour news, nothing can match the value of meeting a candidate for public office in person. At least, that’s what the South Fork Valley Community Association believes, which is why the small, volunteer-run organization is hosting three voter outreach events in East Whatcom County during the 2024 election season.

The SFVCA, which has been around for half a century, has held smaller, informal meetings with candidates in the past, but this year the board has planned a more ambitious series of events, starting with a candidate forum from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24, in the auditorium of Mount Baker High School in Deming.

“It’s really important to have this because it’s hard, when you live in a rural community, to get that much information before an election,” SFVCA board member Maggie Metcalfe said of the forum.

Candidates running for state legislature in the 40th and 42nd Districts will be in attendance, as will local residents seeking a seat on the county charter review board in the general election. Citizens can register to vote that night, saving them a trip to the courthouse, and Whatcom County Auditor Stacy Henthorn will deliver the opening remarks, “Protecting Your Ballot and the Purpose of the Charter Review Board.”

Metcalfe said she was looking forward to Henthorn’s conference because she wanted to learn more about the charter review commission. Once every 10 years, voters choose three commissioners from each of the county’s five council districts, and the 15-person commission will spend the next year evaluating the county charter and proposing amendments for council approval.

At the SFVCA’s annual Summerfest on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Josh VanderYacht Memorial Park in Van Zandt, candidates will be on hand for more casual meet-and-greet sessions in addition to the usual games, potluck and live music from the (aptly named) Zandt Band.

The series of events will culminate with the General Election Candidate Forum on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Van Zandt Hall, where County Executive Satpal Sidhu will deliver the opening remarks. (Van Zandt Hall is located at 4106 Valley Hwy. in Deming.)

Voters in East Whatcom County can sometimes feel forgotten by elected officials and candidates, Metcalfe said. Like urban dwellers, rural residents “want to know the core political philosophy of a candidate — what legislation or legislative process they would support, whether that candidate has in mind the values ​​that are necessary for ordinary people to live comfortably,” she said.

To find more information about the series, visit southforkvalley.org.

Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and whatever happens to her; contact her at [email protected].