Election Pamphlet Misleads Voters

Skagit County Election Pamphlet Misleads Voters, Candidates Demand Correction

Four certified write-in candidates for Skagit County office formally demand that the official voters' pamphlet be corrected to accurately reflect that these races are not unopposed.

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — The four certified write-in candidates for Skagit County office in the August 4, 2026 primary election have formally demanded correction of the County's official election pamphlet, which misleads voters by designating the races for County Treasurer, Coroner, and Clerk as "UNOPPOSED" — despite the County's own records showing valid, accepted declarations of write-in candidacy on file for all three offices.

The certified write-in candidates — Cody Hart (Sheriff), Derrill J. Fussell (Coroner), Tim Garrison (Treasurer), and Amanda Toscano (Clerk) — have written to the Skagit County Auditor, the Washington Secretary of State, and federal election officials to demand that voters be given accurate information before the August 4 primary ballot deadline.

Under state law, RCW 29A.24.311(2), votes cast for certified write-in candidates must be counted. The candidates' declarations of write-in candidacy are public records open to inspection under RCW 29A.24.070. The Secretary of State's own rule, WAC 434-381-120(1), treats the filing of a write-in declaration as the event that ends a candidate's unopposed status.

"This is about voters' right to accurate information," said Cody Hart, certified write-in candidate for Skagit County Sheriff. "Every pamphlet delivered in this county tells voters these races have no opposition. The County's own files say otherwise."

"We followed the law, filed the paperwork, and were certified — and the official pamphlet then told our neighbors we don't exist," said Derrill J. Fussell, certified write-in candidate for Skagit County Coroner. "All we are asking for is accurate public notice before voting ends."

The candidates have also placed the matter on record with the Voting Section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and with the District Election Officer at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington. They emphasize that they are not alleging election fraud and are not seeking to overturn any result; they are asking officials to give voters accurate information while voting is under way.

A press kit — including the correspondence, stamped declarations of candidacy, the County's written responses, and the pamphlet pages at issue — is available on request.