Despite overwhelming public support for restoring district-only voting in Clallam County, political maneuvering and delays threaten to keep the issue off the November ballot—leaving rural District 3 voters effectively silenced in their own elections. At stake is whether West End residents will ever truly choose their own commissioner, or continue to be overruled by voters from Port Angeles and Sequim.
One of the more consequential questions in this year’s Clallam County Charter Review Commission survey asked voters whether they want to return to district-only voting for county commissioners. That is, should voters from each district be solely responsible for nominating and electing their own commissioner—as was the case prior to a 2020 Charter amendment?
The current system allows voters from a single district to nominate a commissioner candidate in the August primary, but the entire county votes in the November general election. According to the 2025 Charter Review survey, 74% of the 1,457 respondents said they want to return to district-only voting. That’s a strong signal from the public that change is desired.
A proposed amendment to the Charter would restore district-only voting. However, one of the most vocal critics of that change has been longtime civic leader Norma Turner.
At a recent Charter Review meeting, Turner argued that claims of voter disenfranchisement are “totally false.” She also dismissed comparisons to legislative or congressional voting as “false equivalencies,” stating that Clallam’s districts are too small for such analogies to apply.
Turner added, “The voters three times have said ‘we do not want to vote to have district elections only.’ And remember the rule: three strikes and you’re out.”
But not everyone agrees that the conversation should be over.
Dr. Sarah Huling, a District 3 resident from Forks, submitted a public comment urging the Commission to move the amendment forward. Huling embraced the baseball analogy to make her point:
At a recent meeting, a public commenter stated that district-only voting had already "struck out" and should not be revisited. I respectfully disagree. If civic progress ended after a few failed attempts, we would not have secured women’s suffrage, the Civil Rights Act, the ADA, Native American voting rights, or the GI Bill. These fundamental rights were earned through persistence and repeated advocacy, not easy wins:
Women’s suffrage, which struck out in Congress for over 40 years before the 19th Amendment finally crossed home plate.
The Civil Rights Act, which faced filibusters and missed signals for decades before finally scoring in 1964.
The ADA, which sat benched by special interests until it cleared the bases in 1990.
Native American voting rights, thrown out at the state level again and again—even after citizenship—until the 1960s.
And the G.I. Bill, which almost got shut out in committee, but was driven home by the American Legion in the bottom of the ninth.
Huling also made clear that her position is not personal:
“I want to acknowledge the legacy of Norma Turner, whose decades of work for rural equity have made a lasting impact on the West End. While I deeply respect her contributions, I was surprised by her recent opposition to restoring district-only voting.”
Huling points out that while each commissioner district has roughly equal population, the countywide general election opens the door for residents in other districts to override the will of voters in the district actually being represented. And there's data to back up the concern.
The 2022 election: a case study in disenfranchisement
In 2022, District 3 (which includes the western portion of Port Angeles and all of the West End) voted in the primary between incumbent Commissioner Bill Peach and challenger Mike French, then a Port Angeles City Council member. Because the primary was limited to District 3 voters, Peach led with 53.34% of the vote.
But when the general election was opened to the entire county, French won with 51.52%.
It’s worth noting that Peach was charged with a DUI after ballots were mailed but before Election Day. That may have influenced some voters. Even so, if only District 3 voters had cast ballots in the general, Peach would have received 53.8% of the vote compared to French’s 46.2%.
In other words: despite a late-breaking controversy, District 3 voters still preferred Peach—but their choice was overridden by voters from outside the district.
Rural vs. urban, left vs. right
Eastern Clallam County, particularly around Sequim and Port Angeles, has seen an influx of retirees and tends to lean more liberal. In contrast, the West End—heavily reliant on timber and blue-collar jobs—remains more conservative.
Under the current hybrid system, more liberal voters in Districts 1 and 2 can tip the scale in elections meant to reflect the values of District 3. That’s not just a political issue—it’s a structural one. It questions whether voters in Forks, Clallam Bay, and Neah Bay are truly choosing their own representation.
Mike French, for instance, has supported policies such as taxpayer-funded "culture taxes" to bring arts and drama therapy into jails, and has expressed tolerance for property destruction in pursuit of social justice. Whether those positions reflect the priorities of West End residents is debatable—but that’s precisely the point. Only District 3 voters should be making that call.
Political influence or public process?
Some critics have asked why Norma Turner, a well-known advocate for progressive causes, has so strongly opposed returning to district-only voting. Turner contributed to Mike French’s 2022 campaign and originally proposed the 2020 Charter amendment that enshrined the current hybrid system.
That amendment passed countywide, 54.21% to 45.79%. Simply put, Norma Turner’s amendment gave Mike French his commissioner seat. That might explain why Commissioner French permits Turner to go over the three-minute public comment limit.
Turner’s record on the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission shows more than 100 contributions, nearly all to candidates or causes affiliated with one political party. While there’s nothing improper about political donations, it raises questions about whether policy preferences are overriding principles of fair district representation.
Further, 12 of the 15 current Charter Review Commissioners were endorsed by the Clallam County Democrats. The individuals who secured their seats are marked with blue dots.
After the public survey closed in May, results showing overwhelming support for district-only voting were withheld from the Commission for nine days—until just hours before a meeting. That delay made it nearly impossible for a proposed amendment to go through all four required steps before August 5th in time to make the November ballot.
If district-only voting doesn't reach the ballot this year, it won’t take effect in time for the 2026 election—when Mike French may seek re-election. The longer the delay, the more it benefits incumbents whose support comes from voters outside their district.
What comes next?
At Monday’s Charter Review Commission meeting, an amendment will be proposed to return to district-only voting. Commissioners will have to decide whether to listen to the 74% of survey respondents who support restoring local control—or continue a system where rural voters remain outnumbered in their own elections.
In a county that prides itself on equity, balance, and local input, the question remains: Should voters in Port Angeles or Sequim get to decide who represents Forks?
That decision now rests with the Charter Review Commission—and hopefully, they’ll allow the decision to rest with the voters.
Last Sunday, readers were asked what concerned them most about the direction of OMC (the hospital). Of 264 votes:
5% said, “Lack of transparency”
4% said, “Financial instability”
1% said, “Secretive merger talks”
5% said, “Risk of losing local services”
84% said, “All of the above”
Charter Review Commission meeting
Monday, July 14, 5:30 PM
Clallam County Courthouse, Port Angeles, room 160
If you would like to participate in the meeting via Zoom audio only, call 253-215-8782 and use meeting ID: 836 9266 4344 and passcode: 12345 and use *9 to raise your hand. If you would like to participate in the meeting via Zoom video conference, visit https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83692664344 and use meeting ID: 836 9266 4344 and passcode: 12345.
View the agenda here.
Have a comment for the Charter Review Commission? Email the Clerk of the Board at loni.gores@clallamcountywa.gov and specify “CRC.”
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