Politics

[Claudia Sanchez]

General info

Kitsap County is generally considered to be a Democratic area. In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 54.89% of the vote to Republican John McCain's 42.63%.[11]
On mainland Kitsap County, politics are dominated by working-class Bremerton, which casts moderate margins for Democratic candidates. However, population shifts have resulted in Bremerton playing less of a role in politics, and unincorporated Kitsap County is a mix of battleground areas and staunchly Republican areas. Non-Bremerton parts of incorporated mainland Kitsap County vary, with Silverdale being marginally Republican, Poulsbo somewhat Democratic, and Port Orchard having been an exact tie in the 2004 election.
Democrats normally carry the Indian reservations of the area by wide margins; the area around Little Boston (part of the S'Klallam Indian Reservation) regularly gives Democratic candidates landslides of 10-to-1. The heavily white Port Madison Indian Reservation (across from Bainbridge Island) also gives Democrats victories of upwards of 2-to-1.
Democratic legislative electoral control of Kitsap County is partly due to Bainbridge Island, which casts a significant number of votes and is almost 3-to-1 Democratic. Bainbridge Island's growth and Democratic trend offsets population losses of Bremerton, generally resulting in the county as a whole being stable but very close.
The Kitsap County Auditor Website has detailed election results from 1998 to the present. County area political trends can be tracked by analyzing the election precinct data.

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A list of future election dates and deadlines to submit measures.
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Maps and address to all ballot drops in Kitsap County.
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Important reminders that will help you be an informed voter!
 

Federal Branches of Government

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Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

• United States Senators for Washington State
• United States House Representative

Judicial Branch

State of Washington Branches of Government

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The Washington State Constitution describes the branches of Washington State Government. Like all states, Washington has three branches modeled after the federal government: executive, legislative, and judicial.

• Laws and Agency Rules
• Washington State Constitution
• Washington State Government Organization Chart (pdf)

Executive

Includes the Governor and other elected state officials. These individuals implement the laws passed by the Legislature. The Governor has the power to appoint members of the Judicial branch. Further, bills passed by the Legislature are sent to the Governor to be signed or vetoed.

• State Agencies
• State Employee Directory
• Statewide Officials

Legislative Branch

Composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives and enacts bills into laws. The Senate has 49 elected members corresponding to the number of legislative districts in the state. The House has 98 elected members, two for each district.

Senate

Angel, Jan

Republican

District 26

Kitsap (P), Pierce (P)

Rolfes, Christine

Democrat

District 23

Kitsap (P)

House of Representatives

Appleton, Sherry

Democrat

District 23

Position 1

Represents part of Kitsap County, including Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Kingston, Silverdale, Winslow and East Bremerton.
 

Hansen, Drew

Democrat

District 23

Position 2

Kitsap (P)

Represents part of Kitsap County, including Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Kingston, Silverdale, Winslow and East Bremerton.
 

Young, Jesse

Republican

District 26

Position 1

Kitsap (P), Pierce (P)

Represents part of Pierce and Kitsap Counties including part of Bremerton, Port Orchard, and Gig Harbor.
 

MacEwen, Drew

Republican

District 35

Position 2

Kitsap (P), Mason, Thurston (P)

Represents Mason County and part of Kitsap and Thurston Counties including Shelton, Grapeview and Belfair.
 

Haigh, Kathy

Democrat

District 35

Position 1

Kitsap (P), Mason, Thurston (P)

Represents Mason County and part of Kitsap and Thurston Counties including Shelton, Grapeview and Belfair.
 

Judicial Branch

Composed of the state courts: Trial court (Municipal, District and Superior), Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court. State courts make rulings on the constitutionality and legality surrounding the implementation of a law, as passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.
Judicial elections 2014

• Kitsap County Superior Court

  • Jeanette Dalton
  • Jennifer Forbes
  • Bill Houser
  • Kevin Hull
  • Anna M. Laurie
  • Leila Mills
  • Sally Olsen
  • Jay B. Roof[1]
  • Court Docket
  • Daily Calendar - Mon Tues Wed Thu Fri
   

  Kitsap County District Court

  • James M. Riehl
  • Jeffrey J. Jahns
  • Marilyn G. Paja
  • Stephen J. Holman

County Government

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Board of County Commissioners

Olympic Workforce Development Council
Bids for County Work contracts

 

Tribal Government

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• Washington State Tribal Directory
• Tribal Government Resources
• Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
• Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Municipal Government

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• Bremerton

• Bainbridge Island

• Port Orchard

• Poulsbo

Municipal courts

• Port Orchard Municipal Court, Washington
  • Tarry S. Decker
• Poulsbo Municipal Court, Washington
• Bainbridge Island Municipal Court, Washington
  • Kathryn Carruthers
• Bremerton Municipal Court, Washington