Write-in candidates make mark

Mark Davies, Sharon Hanek and Kevin Morrison weren't on the August primary ballot.

Yet, in the general election, Morrison took 40 percent of the vote against 21st District Democratic state Rep. Marko Liias, Davies got 39 percent against 1st District Democratic state Rep, Luis Moscoso and Hanek got 42 percent of the vote against incumbent Democratic state Treasurer Jim McIntire.

When no one filed against Liias, Moscoso or McIntire, the door was open for write-in candidacies.

So, Morrison, Davies and Hanek stepped in. In the top-two primary system, they could qualify for the November general election by finishing second in the primary with at least 1 percent of the primary vote.

Morrison had the easiest task. Unlike Davies, he paid to be a registered write-in candidate, which meant that elections officials would count write-in votes for him even with minor misspellings, and, when he qualified for the November ballot, his name appeared with his preferred Republican label. Unlike Hanek, he had to attract 1 percent of the votes just in the 21st District -- most of Edmonds, north Lynnwood, Mukilteo and part of south Everett -- rather than statewide.

Yet all qualified for the general election, and all made respectable showings.

Davies' 39 percent is lower than the share the others got, but he did it without a party label. Moscoso congratulated him Friday for his vigorous campaign.

The 1st District includes most of Mountlake Terrace, all of Brier and Bothell, part of Kirkland, unincorporated areas of King County between Bothell and Kirkland, and unincorporated areas of Snohomish County north and east of Bothell.

Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.