Filing for Office

When to File for Office
May 13 – May 17, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Candidate filings for all offices are accepted for one week only.

• Candidates for 26th Legislative District State Representative file with the Secretary of State.

• Candidates for North Mason School District and Mason County Fire protection district positions file with the Mason County Auditor.

• All other candidates must file for office with the Kitsap County Auditor – Election Division.

File Electronically
New this year, candidates can save a trip to the Auditor’s Office and file online. Online filing also allows candidates to pay their filing fees electronically using a credit card. Filing begins at 9 a.m., May 13 and ends at 4 p.m., May 17.  

File in Person
Candidates may file in-person, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 13–17 at the Kitsap County Auditor’s Office.

File by Mail or Fax

• Candidates may file by mail beginning April 29.

• Candidates may file by fax from 9 a.m., May 13 to 4 p.m., May 17.

• Applicable filing fees are due by the close of candidate filing – 5 p.m., May 17.

Withdrawal Period
Any candidate that wishes to withdraw his/her candidacy must do so in writing no later than 5 p.m., May 20. There is no withdrawal period for declarations filed during a special filing period.

Special Filing Period - Partisan Offices
If no candidate files for a state or county partisan office which is to be voted on by the electors of a single county, the county central committee of the major political party may select and certify a candidate to fill the vacancy.

Special Filing Period - Non-Partisan Offices
If no candidate files for a position that is up for election by the deadline to withdraw, the County Auditor will call a special three-day filing period.

If no one files for a non-partisan position after the normal and special filing periods, that position will not appear on the Primary nor General Election ballots. The incumbent will serve until the next election when such positions are voted upon.

If no one files for a partisan position which is to be voted on by the electors of multiple counties, the state central committee of the major political party may select a candidate to fill the vacancy.

Filing Fees
Filing Fees are non-refundable and must be paid at the time of filing.

• The filing fee is 1 percent of the annual salary for offices with a salary of more than $1,000

• The filing fee is $10.00 for offices with a salary of $1,000 or less

• No filing fee is charged for non-salaried positions

Petition in Lieu of Fee
Candidates who lack sufficient income to pay the filing fee may submit a Nominating Petition with their Declaration of Candidacy in lieu of the required filing fee. Nominating Petitions must contain valid signatures of registered voters in the district equal in number to the dollars of the required filing fee and may not be filed electronically.

Residency Requirements

• At the time of filing for office, candidates must be registered to vote in the district represented by the office they seek.

• Candidates filing for office in a jurisdiction with defined internal district boundaries must reside within that internal district.

Write-In Candidates
A person who wishes to be a write-in candidate must file a Declaration of Write-in Candidacy with the appropriate filing officer no later than 18 days before the election. The applicable filing fee is required.

Valid write-in votes are tallied when:

• A manual recount is conducted

• The total number of write-in votes and under votes for the office is greater than the number of votes cast for the candidate apparently elected.

Write-in vote results
The first unofficial tally of write-in votes will take place after the majority of the regular ballots are tallied.