The primary election will be held on Aug. 1. Several East County candidates and a levy will be featured on ballots.

Ballots will need to be returned by 8 p.m. to a ballot drop box, or postmarked by Aug. 1. Three ballot drop boxes are available in East County. The drop box in McCleary is located at the McCleary VFW, 158 Summit Road. The drop box in Oakville is located at the Methodist Church, 204 E. Harris. Both the McCleary and Oakville drop boxes will be available 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. on election day. The auditor’s office in Montesano (100 W. Broadway, Suite 2) has a 24-hour drop box that is available everyday until it closes at 8 p.m. on election day.

Residents of the City of Elma will be asked to weigh in on a levy for the Elma Police Department. Voters there received two ballots after a clerical error at the county left the levy off initial ballots. The levy will collect $200,000 in 2018 and fund operations and maintenance of the Elma Police Department.

Residents of the City of McCleary will consider between three mayoral candidates. Mayor Brent Schiller is hoping to be elected to the city’s top seat — he was appointed to the position after the 2015 resignation of former mayor Gary Dent. Dent has filed to earn election back into the position he had abandoned. Jared Berken moved to McCleary in February 2017. Though he filed for the position and will be on ballots, it is believed that he was ineligible to file for the position. It’s unclear what will happen if Berken moves on to the general election. Any registered voter in the City of McCleary could legally challenge his candidacy.

In all of the primary election contests, the candidate with the fewest votes will not be on general election ballots.

A McCleary City Council position also will be on primary ballots. Eric Hart, Jaron Heller and Odd DeBakker all are seeking election to the council seat.

Fire District 5 also has three candidates for one seat: Liisa Mayberry, Eric Patton and Dave Hauge. The seat holds a 6-year term.

The primary ballots will feature a race for a commissioner seat for Grays Harbor Hospital District 1 (Summit Pacific Medical Center). Carolyn Wescott, Georgette Beerbower Hiles and Otis Leathers all have filed for the position. The seat holds a 6-year term.

The Vidette will have gone to press before results of the election. Results of the election will be posted on The Vidette website, www.thevidette.com, and will be printed in the Aug. 10 issue.