Ken Graham: From The Publisher

I n sports they call it "sudden death." While in many respects, politics has become less polite than sports, we give the current round of elections a more polite name: the primary.

Many elected offices in Washington counties are up for election this year. In Walla Walla and Columbia Counties, a great majority of those are uncontested. They include Assessor, Clerk, Treasurer and Prosecutor positions in both counties, as well as Auditor and Sheriff in Columbia County.

In the Touchet Valley area of Walla Walla County, voters will see two local races with three candidates on this month's primary ballot: Sheriff and Coroner. Since the Walla Walla County Commissioner race will appear only on ballots for voters in District 3, which does not include our readership area, we are not covering that race for the primary. The top two vote-getters in that race will appear on the general election ballot for all voters in the county, and we will cover that race then.

The Sheriff's race has been particularly acrimonious this year, and we start our brief (and hopefully balanced) coverage on Page 1. In October, leading up to the general election between the two primary leaders, we will cover the issues in that race in more detail.

We are also beginning our brief coverage of the Columbia County Commissioners District 3 race on Page 1. The two candidates who filed for that race in June have been joined by a third write-in candidate. Again, the top two vote getters in that race will move on to the general election in November, for which we will provide more detailed coverage.

Even though this isn't the final election that determines the winners, the primary is still important, and we encourage our readers to turn in their ballots. Walla Walla and Columbia Counties are famous for their high voter turnout. Let's carry on that reputation.