The short version.
Washington uses a top-two primary: every candidate for an office runs on the same August ballot regardless of party, and the two with the most votes advance to November. To get on the ballot you file a declaration of candidacy during the state's May filing week and pay a filing fee (or file a petition instead). Washington votes entirely by mail.
This page covers how that works for Douglas County. It is not legal advice; for the official rules, your county elections office and the Washington Secretary of State are the sources of truth.
Douglas County at the ballot box.
- In 2024, Douglas County cast 21,069 votes for president: 35.2% Democratic, 62.2% Republican.
- In 2020, Douglas County cast 21,308 votes for president: 36.7% Democratic, 60.8% Republican.
- In 2016, Douglas County cast 11,467 votes for president: 31.4% Democratic, 62.9% Republican.
Recent presidential results are a useful read on the partisan lean of the electorate you'd be campaigning to. More about Motion51 in Washington.
How to get on the ballot in Washington.
The campaigns that win the field are the ones who start building their list of supporters and volunteers before qualifying even opens, not after. The Douglas County voter file is already loaded in Motion51, so you can start finding your people now.
Washington has no party primaries. Every candidate for an office appears on the same August ballot (you may state a party preference, but it isn't a party nomination), and the two candidates with the most votes advance to the November general election, even if they prefer the same party.
File your declaration of candidacy.
You file a Declaration of Candidacy during the state's filing week (a set week in May) and pay a filing fee equal to 1% of the office's annual salary (RCW 29A.24.091). If the office pays $1,000 a year or less, there is no fee.
Can't afford the fee? File a petition instead.
In place of the fee, you may submit a filing-fee petition signed by registered voters: one signature for each dollar of the filing fee. So a $500 fee means 500 valid signatures. It's a real option for candidates for whom the fee is a hardship.
You file with your county elections office (the County Auditor, or an elections department like Douglas County Auditor — Elections) for county, local, and legislative offices, or with the Washington Secretary of State for federal and statewide offices.
Key Washington dates.
Still open for the November 3, 2026 ballot
Filing week closed on May 8 and the top-two primary was held on August 4, so the ordinary route onto this year's ballot is shut. One route is not: a registered write-in candidacy, and in a low-turnout local race it is a real one.
- Thu Oct 15, 2026 CLOSED. Last day to file a write-in candidacy for the general election WITHOUT paying a filing fee. This is the live 2026 date.
- Tue Nov 3, 2026, 8:00 p.m. STILL OPEN. GENERAL ELECTION. A write-in declaration can be filed right up to 8:00 p.m. on election day (RCW 29A.24.311), but from October 16 the filing fee applies.
- May 4 to May 8, 2026 CLOSED. Filing Week -- CLOSED. Declarations of candidacy were filed with the fee paid or a filing-fee petition submitted.
- Tue Aug 4, 2026 CLOSED. Top-two primary -- HELD.
Two things to know before you plan a write-in campaign. RCW 29A.24.311(3)(a) bars you from filing as a general-election write-in if your name was printed on the primary ballot for that same office, or if you were already a write-in candidate for it at the primary. And registering is not optional: no votes are counted at all for a write-in candidate who has not filed a declaration.
2027 -- the year most local office in Washington is on the ballot
Washington elects city and town councils, mayors, school boards, and fire, port, water, library and other special-district seats in ODD-numbered years. If you are running for local office, 2027 is your cycle. Every date below is published by the Secretary of State.
- Mon Apr 19, 2027 First day the filing officer may receive a declaration of candidacy by mail.
- Mon May 3 to Fri May 7, 2027 FILING WEEK. Declarations of candidacy, with the filing fee paid or a filing-fee petition submitted. RCW 29A.24.050 fixes this as the first Monday in May and the following Friday.
- Mon May 10, 2027 Candidate withdrawal deadline.
- Tue May 18, 2027 Candidate statements and photographs for the state Voters’ Pamphlet due.
- Tue Aug 3, 2027 Top-two primary (all-mail).
- Thu Oct 14, 2027 Last day to file a write-in candidacy for the general election without paying a filing fee.
- Tue Nov 2, 2027 GENERAL ELECTION.
2028 -- computed from statute, not yet published
The Secretary of State has not released a 2028 calendar. The three dates below follow directly from statute, so treat them as the shape of the year and confirm each one before you rely on it.
- Mon May 1 to Fri May 5, 2028 FILING WEEK -- COMPUTED. RCW 29A.24.050 fixes it as the first Monday in May and the following Friday.
- Tue Aug 1, 2028 Top-two primary -- COMPUTED. RCW 29A.04.311 puts the primary on the first Tuesday of the preceding August.
- Tue Nov 7, 2028 GENERAL ELECTION -- COMPUTED. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. U.S. Senate and the statewide executive offices return to the ballot this year.
Status as of October 18, 2026: dates that have passed are greyed out and marked CLOSED.
The 2026 and 2027 dates come from the Washington Secretary of State elections calendar (sos.wa.gov/elections/calendar) and were checked on 2026-08-20. The 2028 dates are arithmetic from statute rather than a published calendar. Confirm anything you plan to rely on with your county elections office or the Secretary of State candidate page.
The 2027 ballot in Douglas County.
These 2027 dates are confirmed against the state's own published calendar or statute. Anything our research could not confirm is left off this page rather than estimated.
-
August 3, 2027
Primary — Local.
Top-two primary for local offices where three or more candidates file.
Candidate filing: opens May 3, 2027, closes May 7, 2027.
Source -
November 2, 2027
General — Local.
Local general election: city and town mayors and councils, school boards, port, fire, hospital, water-sewer and other special district commissioners, and charter-county offices on the odd-year cycle.
Candidate filing: opens May 3, 2027, closes May 7, 2027.
Source 1 · Source 2
2027 dates can move, and a municipality can change its own election date by ordinance. Which seats are on a given ballot depends on when each was last filled. Confirm anything you are relying on with the Douglas County Auditor — Elections before you act on it.
Douglas County at a glance.
Douglas County had an estimated 45,795 residents in July 2024, the 25th most populous of Washington's 39 counties, up 6.7% since the 2020 census. Of those, 35,110 are 18 or older, the voting-age population, and 19.0% are 65 or older. Its 28,520 active registered voters equal about 81.2% of that voting-age population.
It covers 1,819 square miles of land (25 people per square mile), and 56.3% of residents live outside any incorporated city or town. The largest cities and towns are East Wenatchee (14,330), Bridgeport (2,261), Rock Island (1,722), Waterville (1,148) and Mansfield (340). The American Community Survey (2020-2024) puts it at a median age of 38.9, a median household income of $80,363, 21.5% of adults 25 and older holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 69.3% of occupied homes owned by the people living in them.
In 2024, 21,069 votes were cast for president, about 60.0% of the voting-age population; the Democratic ticket took 35.2% and the Republican ticket 62.2%. The two-party margin moved from R+21.3 in 2008 to R+27.0 in 2024.
- Population (2024 estimate)
- 45,795
- Population (2020 census base)
- 42,933
- Voting-age population (18+)
- 35,110
- Active voters per 100 adults
- 81.2
- Residents 65 and older
- 19.0%
- People per square mile
- 25
- Living outside incorporated places
- 56.3%
- Land area
- 1,819 sq mi
- Median age
- 38.9
- Median household income
- $80,363
- Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree
- 21.5%
- Owner-occupied homes
- 69.3%
Largest cities and towns
- East Wenatchee 14,330
- Bridgeport 2,261
- Rock Island 1,722
- Waterville 1,148
- Mansfield 340
Presidential vote, 2008–2024
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Margin | Votes cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 35.2% | 62.2% | R+27.0 | 21,069 |
| 2020 | 36.7% | 60.8% | R+24.1 | 21,308 |
| 2016 | 31.4% | 62.9% | R+31.5 | 11,467 |
| 2012 | 34.4% | 63.3% | R+28.9 | 14,678 |
| 2008 | 38.5% | 59.8% | R+21.3 | 15,209 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates and 2024 Gazetteer; American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates; certified county presidential returns. Growth, density and turnout are simple arithmetic on those figures.
Counties next to Douglas.
Running in a district that crosses a county line? Each of these has its own guide.
Registered voters, the most reliable-voting precincts and how this county has voted: Douglas County voter data.
Offices on the ballot.
Up in 2026 (primary August 4, general November 3):
- U.S. House — all 10 Washington seats
- Washington Legislature — all 98 state House seats and about half of the 49 state Senate seats
- County & local — county council or commission, assessor, sheriff, prosecutor, etc. (varies by county)
- Judicial — Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Superior Court seats up this cycle
No U.S. Senate or statewide executive offices are on Washington's 2026 ballot; those were on the ballot in 2024 and return in 2028. Note also what is not in the list above: city and town councils, mayors, school boards and the fire, port, water and library districts are elected in ODD years, so their next ballot is November 2, 2027. For the official list of Douglas County seats up this cycle, check your county elections office.
Your county elections office.
Washington runs elections through 39 county elections offices: the County Auditor in most counties, or a dedicated elections department in Douglas County. This is where you file for county, local, and legislative offices, and the source of truth for local dates, district maps, and petition forms.
- Office
- 203 S Rainier Street, Waterville, WA 98858
- Phone
- (509) 888-6402
- Website
- https://www.douglascountywa.gov/201/Elections
Contact details verified 2026-06-18. If a field is wrong or out of date, your county elections office and the Washington Secretary of State are the canonical sources.
After you file: building a field operation.
Filing is the paperwork. What starts then is the actual campaign: reaching voters, recruiting volunteers, and identifying the people who'll return a ballot for you in August and November.
That's what Motion51 is built for. The Douglas County voter file is already loaded: no chasing a CSV or paying a vendor. You scope your district, recruit volunteers, cut turf, and start knocking. The app works offline for neighborhoods with bad cell coverage, and every door is logged with a timestamp, a strong complement to Washington's all-mail ballots.
If filing is settled and you're thinking about the field operation, our For Candidates page walks through the next steps.