Central Valley school board races may be confusing for voters

Voters in the Central Valley School District had better be paying attention when they fill out their ballots.

Otherwise their vote might be wasted.

Both Central Valley School Board races this year feature write-in candidates. That means their supporters must correctly fill in their names and also black out the bubble next to it. They also must make sure that their choice is written for the correct race.

Adding to the confusion, two like-minded candidates, Pam Orebaugh and Rob Linebarger, took the top two spots in the August primary for Position 5.

A few weeks later, retired teacher Stan Chalich started a write-in campaign.

Linebarger, fearing that the conservative vote might be split, has since thrown his personal support behind Orebaugh and urged his supporters to do the same.

“Pam’s values and platform are well suited for the position; I think she is the best candidate, and has my vote,” Linebarger said.

Linebarger said Friday that he’s precluded from holding office anyway because he has since founded a nonprofit organization, Washington Citizens for Liberty.

“Essentially, I could do one or the other, but not both, so I chose to focus on charitable and grassroots civic endeavors through the nonprofit,” Linebarger said.

Linebarger emphasized that his support for Orebaugh is personal and not an endorsement from Washington Citizens for Liberty.

Chalich also faces a few challenges. In addition to the uphill battle of mounting a write-in campaign, he must get the message to supporters to write his name in the correct space, at Position 5.

Chalich’s campaign has made it a priority to get the message across on social media. Posts include visual aids encouraging supporters to “fill in the bubble and write in Stan Chalich for Pos. 5.”

On top of that, each member is elected from a geographic area within the district. However, voting is done at-large – that is, everyone in the district may vote in all races.

At Position 2, Teresa Landa ran unopposed in the primary, only to face a late write-in challenge from Bret Howell.

Howell’s supporters must remember to write in his name for Position 2.

“I think there’s a lot of confusion about the actual division of our district,” Landa said. “I’m afraid they will write in Stan’s name in the wrong position.”

Voters also must fill in the names properly.

“It’s important to write the full name and fill in the bubble,” Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said Friday.