Local politicians will have to win your vote with fewer words as the Pierce County Auditor’s Office trims the length of candidate statements in the local voters’ pamphlet to save money.

Auditor Jan Shabro said she’ll save more than $33,000 by cutting candidate statements from a maximum of 200 words to 150 words.

It’s the latest example of how the county is cutting spending as sales taxes and other revenue plummet. In two rounds of budget cuts, the County Council has trimmed the general fund – which pays for many basic services such as law enforcement and elections – by $12.2 million, or 4.2 percent. Shabro’s office has seen a cut of $445,740, or 4.5 percent.

Among other things, the auditor has cut her training budget, eliminated extra hires and reduced overtime. Now she’s telling politicians to keep their sales pitches short.

By cutting candidate statements from 200 to 150 words, Shabro said she’ll be able to squeeze in three candidates per page instead of two in the voters’ pamphlet, saving money on paper and postage. She’ll save $21,120 for the primary election and $12,370 for the general election.

Candidates for City of Tacoma offices won’t be subject to the 150-word limit because they pay city fees and follow different rules.

Shabro acknowledged she’s received some “pushback” from candidates.

Perennial candidate Will Baker, who is running for auditor against Shabro, devotes his 150-word candidate statement to criticizing the new word limit. He accuses Shabro of trying to rig elections by manipulating information available to voters.

Shabro said the new word limit is only about saving money. And she noted that local candidates still will get more space than candidates for the state House of Representatives. State law limits them to 100 words in the state voters’ pamphlet.

Pierce isn’t the only Washington county cutting election costs. Katie Blinn, assistant director of elections for the Secretary of State’s Office, said some counties – including Spokane, Kitsap and Island – are eliminating local voters’ pamphlets altogether.

The Secretary of State’s Office this year sought permission from the Legislature to trim candidate statements. The Legislature turned it down.

David Wickert: 253-274-7341
david.wickert@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics