Island County Democrats March Newsletter Highlights Organizing, Candidate Recruitment Efforts

With Candidate Filing Week less than six weeks out, the Island County Democrats used their March 2026 newsletter to signal a busy election season ahead, previewing a wave of younger candidates for local races and pushing hard on precinct-level organizing across the county.

ICD Chair Jennifer Haase Morris set the tempo in her message, writing that "candidates who are interested in running for public office will file with the County Auditor's office between May 4-8, 2026. That will officially launch this 2026 election cycle." The five-day filing window marks the formal starting gun for local races, and Morris made clear the party intends to arrive ready.

On the candidate front, Morris offered an early glimpse at the field taking shape. "There are a number of younger candidates in this cycle," she wrote, describing them as "community leaders who are committed to making Island County a great place to live, work, and play." No names or specific offices were identified in the newsletter excerpt, but Morris indicated the party plans to introduce candidates to members at general meetings scheduled for April and May. Those meetings were delayed after a packed February and March. "Schedules have been quite busy in February and March, so we have been delayed in setting up general meetings," Morris acknowledged, adding she hopes "to nail down a schedule for April and May in the next few weeks."

Alongside candidate recruitment, the newsletter placed significant emphasis on filling Precinct Committee Officer slots. Morris addressed both elected and appointed PCOs directly, urging appointed officers to consider making their positions permanent by running for election so that "all our precincts across the county are represented." She singled out Oak Harbor specifically, asking members who have connected with new people "at one of the protests or at other democracy-building events" to recruit them for the PCO role.

The newsletter also included contributions from county officials. Commissioner Janet St. Clair contributed a message, according to the newsletter's contents, though the full text of her remarks was not available in the excerpts published by The Voter Interests Project, a local aggregator that reposts party leadership communications each month on the grounds that such statements are "of general public interest."

Morris closed her message with a note of gratitude to the volunteer networks operating alongside the party, citing those "doing the critical work of safeguarding our democracy" through protests, trainings, and what she called "hard conversations." The full March newsletter is available through the Island County Democrats' regular mailing list.