Election central

COEUR d'ALENE — March madness — election-style — is about to unravel.

You've watched or heard about presidential debates and caucuses in the East and West.

Now it's your turn to make your choice, Kootenai County.

Republican and Constitution Party voters will make their choice for their parties' nomination for president on March 8 in a primary election.

There will also be non-partisan votes for school supplemental levy proposals in the Lakeland and Kellogg districts on March 8.

Early in-person voting on the March 8 ballots started last week and runs through Friday at the county elections office, 1808 N. Third St., Coeur d’Alene, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 8.

Voters wanting an absentee ballot mailed to them need to submit their request by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Request forms are available at http://bit.ly/1KYkNyw.

Democrats, meanwhile, will make their choice for their party's presidential nomination during a caucus on March 22 at North Idaho College's Schuler Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and close at 6 p.m.

Tim Hurst, Idaho Secretary of State chief deputy, said the deadline for voters to change their party affiliation for the May primary election featuring county and state races is March 11.

"So anyone can change their party affiliation or become unaffiliated any time prior to that date," Hurst wrote in an e-mail to county elections officials.

Therefore, voters could change their party during the March 8 election, then change again on or before March 11.

"If an elector wants to change his or her party affiliation to either the Constitution Party or Republican Party in order to vote in the Presidential Primary, the elector can do that any time prior to receiving the ballot," Hurst wrote. "If the elector then wants to change to another party or become unaffiliated after voting in the Presidential Primary, the elector will have until March 11 to do so."

To change from one party to another on March 8, the voter must complete the Idaho Political Party Affiliation Declaration Form to make the change.

Kootenai County Elections Supervisor Carrie Phillips said she doesn't expect many voters will be changing parties.

"Most voters already know what party they prefer to be affiliated with," she said.

The Democratic and Libertarian parties are not holding a Presidential Primary.

Paula Neils, chairwoman of the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee, said the party is expecting as many as 1,200 people to attend the caucus at NIC. Local Democrats will send 37 delegates to the state convention June 16-18 in Boise.

The public is welcome to attend the caucus. Representatives of each sub-caucus will speak about their presidential candidates of choice before a final count will be taken. Candidates who get less than 15 percent support won't be assigned delegates.

The Idaho Democratic Party will send 24 delegates and two alternatives to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia July 25-28 to nominate the Democratic candidate for president.

For more information about the March 8 ballots, call the county elections office at 446-1030. For more information about the Democratic caucus on March 22, call Neils at 755-9590.

MARCH 8 LAKELAND SCHOOL LEVY: Voters in the Lakeland Joint School District will vote on a non-partisan $5.3 million supplemental levy. It will replace an existing levy. The levy amount increases the current levy by $505,000.

Passage of the levy will allow the district to maintain neighborhood schools with the same grade-level alignment and course offerings, district officials said. It will also help offset decreases in federal funding that support special education and Title programs.

For the owner of a $150,000 home, the increase would amount to $12.33 per year, or $1.03 per month, over the current levy.

The increase would be used to improve school safety measures, including hiring a school resource officer in partnership with the city of Rathdrum and the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, reinforce windows with safety film, enhance existing emergency response systems and improve student health and safety services, which includes athletic trainers for competitive high school sports.

For more information, visit www.lakeland272.org or call 697-0431. Questions can also be submitted to levyquestions@lakeland272.org.

MAY 17 PRIMARY: The candidate filing period for the May 17 primary election runs Monday through 5 p.m. on March 11.

The county commissioner seats currently held by Dan Green and David Stewart are up for election, along with the sheriff's position held by Ben Wolfinger and county prosecutor seat held by Barry McHugh.

In addition, there will be candidate options for precinct committee representatives.

Documents required for each type of office vary. All required documents are at http://www.kcgov.us/elections/ under Candidate Filing Documents.

The county elections staff will post daily updates of candidate filings on the county's website.

The updates will begin Tuesday and will list the names of candidates who filed for offices as of 5 p.m. the prior day.

"We expect a great deal of interest in candidate filings," said Jim Brannon, county clerk.

In the early evening of March 11, the clerk’s office will issue a press release with the final roster of candidates for all races on the May 17 ballot.

Filing for state legislative seats for the May 17 primary also runs Monday through March 11 through the Secretary of State Office.

The general election is on Nov. 8.